Silhouettes of the Soul: Meditations on Fashion, Religion, and Subjectivity

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What is the relationship between the soul, or inner life, and what we wear in the making of identity and belief What bearing do religious and political belonging, respectability, and resistance have on the way in which we dress Why have more traditional religious practices been so prescriptive about body adornment Historically, fashionable dress and religion have been positioned as polar opposites. Silhouettes of the Soul brings them together, placing them in conversation with each other. By moving beyond traditional, social scientific, and historical analysis of religious attire and adornment the book presents a variety of disciplinary approaches from across regional, social, and religious locations. Contentious and challenging, as well as academically rigorous, the book's diverse range of contributors - from fashion and religious studies scholars, to designers, activists, monastics, and journalists - explore the relationship between religion and fashion, extending the meanings and possibilities of both dress and spirituality. Combining interviews and personal stories with more traditional theoretical analysis, Silhouettes of the Soul offers new ways of looking at the relationship between religion, personal convictions, and self-expression - our sense of self and our sense of fashion.

Reviews

An exciting and refreshing take on the relationship between religion and fashion through an exploration of deep dress. Silhouettes of the Soul moves beyond the Christo-centrism prominent in the study of religious dress to highlight a diverse range of religions and religious people from queer Buddhist monks to the Muslim modest fashion movement to religious robes in ancient India. This is a great book for students of fashion and curious readers alike. * Kayla Wheeler, Xavier University, USA *
This provocative volume challenges readers to question assumptions about religion and ecclesiastical fashion as dress reflects new conceptions of spirit, distinguishing religious innovators from past beliefs and practices. * Elisha P. Renne, University of Michigan, USA *
This volume draws together scholars from diverse disciplinary homes to offer concepts and frames to help our understanding of the role of clothing in theological constructions, devotional practices, and cultivation of the self, as well as the broader aesthetics of concealment of the human form. * Liz Bucar, Northeastern University, USA *

Author Bio

Otto von Busch is Associate Professor of Integrated Design at Parsons School of Design, The New School, USA. He is the author of The Psychopolitics of Fashion (Bloomsbury, 2019). Jeanine Viau is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Central Florida, USA.