Religion, Dress and the Body

by Lazaridis, Gabriella; Arthur, Linda B.

• ISBN13: 9781859732977
• ISBN10: 1859732976
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-05-01
• Publisher: Berg Pub Ltd

Summary

Religions constrain the bodies of their members through dress. In many cases, dress immediately identifies a member of the community to the outside world and separates them from a society that members believe is threatened by evil forces. Dress identifies the wearer's community to other groups and communities, and may also reflect one's status. Most interestingly, perhaps, dress is a measure of one's level of commitment to the community. While communities vary greatly in terms of what is permissible, strict conformity to internal codes invariably is interpreted as a sign of piety, whereas deviation implies at best self-indulgence and at worst contempt for community values. In order to control sexuality, women's bodies in particular are constrained in religious communities in terms of emotional expression, diet, and especially dress. This book investigates dress in American religious communities as a vital component of the social control of cultures, and also examines how people express themselves despite religious constraints. Gender issues feature prominently since the control of female sexuality within religious communities is a matter of vital concern to its members. Drawing on rich ethnographic case studies, this wide-ranging and interdisciplinary represents a major contribution to the study of both religion and dress.

Author Biography

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

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. vii
Notes on Contributors	p. ix
List of Illustrations	p. xiii
Introdiction:Dress and the Social Control of the Body	p. 1
References	p. 7
The Social Control of Women's Bodies in Two Mennonite Communities	p. 9
References	p. 28
Sacred Dress,Public Words: Amish and Mormon Experience and Commitment	p. 31
References	p. 50
The Polynesian Clutural Center and the Mormon Image of the Body:Images of Paradise on Laie,Hawai'i	p. 53
References	p. 69
The Obedient and Disobedient Daughters of the Church: Stragite Mormon Dress as a Mode of Control	p. 73
Notes	p. 91
References	p. 92
Dress the Negotation of Relationships between the Eastern Dakota and Euroamericans in Nineteenth-Century Minnesota	p. 95
References	p. 113
The African American Church, Its Sacred Cosmos and Dress	p. 117
Notes	p. 131
References	p. 131
Fashion and Identity of Women Religious	p. 135
Notes	p. 145
References	p. 145
The 'paarda' Expression of Hejaab among Afghan Women in a Non-Muslim Community	p. 147
Notes	p. 160
References	p. 161
Hasidic Women's Head Coverings:A Feminied System of Hasidic Distinciton	p. 163
Notes	p. 177
References	p. 178
Jewish Genes,Jewish Jeans: a Fashionable Body	p. 181
References	p. 199
Index	p. 201
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