Description
Book SynopsisWhat 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 meani
Trade ReviewAn 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 *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Contributors Introduction Otto von Busch (Parsons School of Design, USA) and Jeanine Viau (University of Central Florida, USA)
Section One: Interfacing the Divine Section One Introduction by Otto von Busch (Parsons School of Design, USA) and Jeanine Viau (University of Central Florida, USA) 1. The Future Body as Ultimate Dress Fiona Dieffenbacher (Parsons School of Design, USA) 2. No One Can Tell: On the Silent Glamour of Meher Baba Nicola Masciandaro (Brooklyn College, CUNY, USA) 3. Embodiments of Shakti: Cosmic Power Displayed by Kumaris, Incarnate Goddesses of Nepal Liz Wilson (Miami University of Ohio, USA) 4. Interview with Kodo Nishimura Otto von Busch (Parsons School of Design, USA) and Mark Larrimore (The New School, USA)
Section Two: Practices of Emulation and Transformation Section Two Introduction by Otto von Busch (Parsons School of Design, USA) and Jeanine Viau (University of Central Florida, USA) 5. Naked or Nude? Reading the Threads, the Bare and the Threadbare in Ancient Indian Religion Joseph Walser (Tufts University, USA) 6. Empowered Entrepreneurs: Women of Muslim Faith and the Modest Fashion Movement in the U.S. Hassanah El-Yacoubi (University of California Riverside, USA) 7. Fashioning the Subject: Black Queerness, Identity, and an Ethic of Honor Benae Beamon (Bucknell University, USA) 8. From the Medieval Christ to Fashion’s Heroin Chic: The Sublime Emulation of the Emaciated Paradigm in Secular and Religious Iconography Tanya White (Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada) 9. In and Out of One Another’s Closets: A Dialogue Jeanine Viau (University of Central Florida, USA) with Shekinah Morrison (University of Central Florida, USA)
Section Three: The Radiance of the Concealed Section Three Introduction by Otto von Busch (Parsons School of Design, USA) and Jeanine Viau (University of Central Florida, USA) 10. Making Islamic Masculinities: Clothing Traditions in African American Islam Michael Muhammad Knight (University of Central Florida, USA) 11. Holly Woodlawn, Trash Queen: Queer Agency and Resistance in the Pursuit of Glamour Jared Vázquez (University of Denver, USA) 12. Fashioning A Glamour: Magical Embodiment in Contemporary Witchcraft Kristen J. Sollée (The New School, USA) 13. Interview with Damcho Otto von Busch (Parsons School of Design, USA) Index
