Silhouettes of the Soul

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.