Undressing Religion: Commitment and Conversion from a Cross-Cultural Perspective

(Paperback)

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From Islam to Confucianism to Voodoo, dress plays a pivotal role in religious expression. This book investigates how dress symbolically evidences both religious and social systems across a wide range of cultures - from Africa and South America to Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Caribbean. In some of these cultures, dress is part of a system of social control. Gender issues feature prominently since the control of female sexuality is often of great importance to the world's religions. Members of each ethno-religious group actively construct their own lives, and use dress symbolically. A central tenet for many of these groups is that the soul is visually manifested on the body through dress. Drawing on rich ethnographic case studies, this wide-ranging and interdisciplinary volume represents a major contribution to the study of both religion and dress.

Reviews

'A stimulating collection.' International Review of Biblical Studies 'This is a useful collection of historical and ethnographic work. Whereas earlier studies have often focused on the way in which dress is used as an agent of social control, this volume explores the ways in which dress shows adaptation to cultural change and religioius identity.' The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

Author Bio

Linda B. Arthur Professor and Department Chair,Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design, Washington State University