Religion, Attire, and Adornment in North America

Clothing, dress, and ornamentation are crucial parts of individual and communal religious life and practice, yet they are too often overlooked. This book convenes leading scholars to explore the roles of attire and adornment in the creation and communication of religious meaning, identity, and community. Contributors investigate aspects of religious dress in North America in the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries, considering adornment practices in a wide range of religious traditions and among individuals who straddle religious boundaries. The collection is organized around four frameworks for understanding the material culture of religion: theological interpretation, identity formation, negotiation of tradition, and activism.

Religion, Attire, and Adornment in North America features essays on topics such as Black Israelites' use of African fabrics, Christian religious tattoos, Wiccan ritual nudity, Amish "plain dress," Mormon sacred garments, Hare Krishna robes, and the Church of Body Modification. Spanning the diversity of religious practice and expression, this book is suitable for a range of undergraduate courses and offers new insights for scholars in many disciplines.


About the Author

Marie W. Dallam is professor of religious studies at the Honors College of the University of Oklahoma. Her books include Cowboy Christians (2018).

Benjamin E. Zeller is professor and chair of religion at Lake Forest College. His books include Heaven's Gate: America's UFO Religion (2014).

Dallam and Zeller are among the coeditors of Religion, Food, and Eating in North America (Columbia, 2014).