Religious Hair Display and Its Meanings (Popular Culture, Religion and Society. A Social-Scientific Approach, 4)

"This book explores the fascinating world of religious hair observances within six religious traditions that account for 77% of the world's adherents: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Symbolic use of hair has been, and remains, prevalent in all six and carries significant amounts of religious and social meaning. Hair is a unique body substance. It can be shaped and colored, removed from us without pain but still retain an individual's essence, signal our age, sex, and sexual maturity, and much, much more. The book's approach is to situate each practice within its tradition. That requires a study of its foundational leaders and their teachings, sacred texts (where they mention hair), its rites and rituals, ideas of religious power and subsequent historical development. Contemporary practitioners are interviewed for their motivations. Even more insight can be gleaned by searching beyond an overt religious purpose. Social scientists from anthropology, sociology, psychology, and related fields bring their research to deliver added perceptions. The author reveals how hair practices are created from ancient psychological and cultural impulses, become modified by time, culture and religious intent, and are adopted by adherents for reasons ranging from personal religious expression to group identity. This book is written for the interested observer of our increasingly diverse society and for the student of comparative religion and sociology. It will change forever how you see hair"--Back cover Preface Acknowledgments Contents Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Theory Statement 1.2 Book Structure 1.3 Structuring a Methodology Bibliography References Part I: Hair as Symbol Chapter 2: Foundational Interpretations (1880–1970) 2.1 Why Hair? 2.2 Foundational Social Science Interpretations (1880–1970) 2.2.1 Social Structures: Emile Durkheim 2.2.2 Victim, Sacrifice, Gift: Marcel Mauss 2.2.3 Universality of Practice and Meaning 2.2.4 Hair and Fertility: Bruce Lincoln 2.2.5 Rites of Passage: Arnold van Gennep 2.2.6 Ancient Antecedents: Julian Morgenstern 2.2.7 Symbols from the Unconscious: Freud and Jung 2.2.8 Psychology and Hair Practice: Charles Berg and Edmund Leach 2.2.9 Psychology and Culture: Christopher Hallpike and Raymond Firth 2.2.10 Boundaries and Ritual: Mary Douglas 2.2.11 Personal Unconscious, Group Identity, and Society Bibliography References Chapter 3: Power, Habitus, and Material Practice (1970–Present) 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Power, Force and Control: Michel Foucault 3.3 Interpreting Symbols and Meaning: Clifford Geertz 3.4 Academia’s Western Myopia 3.5 Setting Space Aside for Religion: Talal Asad 3.6 Embodiment: Bryan Turner 3.7 Material Religion 3.8 Summary 3.9 Using Social Science to Interpret a Practice 3.10 Summary Bibliography References Part II: Hair as Religious Praxis Chapter 4: Judaism 4.1 Biblical Narratives 4.2 Hair Practices in Torah 4.3 Female Sexuality and Hair Covering 4.4 Hair as Boundary Marker 4.5 Forced Hair Cutting 4.6 Mourning Rituals 4.7 Nazarite Vow 4.8 Extra-Biblical Tradition 4.9 Head Covering for Men 4.10 Head Covering for Women 4.11 Lilith Legends 4.12 Women’s Commentary 4.13 Sheitels and Tikhls 4.14 Hair Cutting Rites for Boys 4.15 Summary Bibliography References Chapter 5: Christianity 5.1 The New Testament Record 5.2 Female Head Covering in Worship (Paul) 5.3 Female Head Covering Through History 5.4 The African-American Experience 5.5 The Ethiopian Orthodox Church 5.6 The Naziritic Vow 5.7 Head Shaving and Tonsuring for Men 5.8 Use of Corporeal Relics 5.9 Hair Shaving and Head Covering for Women Religious 5.10 Clergy Beards 5.11 Summary Bibliography References Chapter 6: Islam 6.1 Brief Overview of Islam 6.2 Role of Hadith and Religious Jurisprudence 6.3 The First Centuries 6.4 Male Hair and Beard 6.5 Female Head Covering 6.5.1 Origins of Female Head Covering 6.5.2 Modernization and the Veil 6.5.3 Rejection of the West 6.5.4 Arabian Peninsula 6.5.5 Women’s Motivation for Head Covering 6.5.6 France and Quebec 6.5.7 The U.S. Experience 6.5.8 Women’s Reaction in Majority Muslim Countries 6.5.9 Conclusions on Female Veiling 6.6 Removing Body Hair 6.7 Male Hair Shaving After the Pilgrimage to Mecca 6.8 Distribution of Mohammed’s Hair and Nails 6.9 Aqiqah 6.10 Summary Bibliography References Chapter 7: Hinduism 7.1 Indic and Abrahamic 7.2 Understanding Hinduism 7.3 Caste/Varna/Jati 7.4 God Is Infinite and Multiform 7.5 Other Religions Coming from Hinduism 7.6 Hair and Ritual Pollution 7.7 Female Pollution 7.8 Hair and Crop Fertility 7.9 The Four Life Stages 7.10 The 16 Samskaras 7.11 Pilgrimages (tirtha) 7.12 Sannyasins and Monks 7.13 Women’s Devotion 7.14 Summary Bibliography References Chapter 8: Buddhism 8.1 History and Beliefs 8.2 The Buddha’s Teachings and Early Buddhism 8.3 Overview of Buddhist Hair Practices 8.4 Inheritors of the Brahmin Tradition 8.5 The Buddha’s Hair 8.6 Buddhist Iconography 8.7 The Buddha’s Donation of His Hair and Nails 8.8 Monasticism and Head Shaving, Male and Female 8.9 Variations Among the Three Major Buddhist Schools 8.9.1 Theravada: Traditional Monastic Practice 8.9.2 Mahayana: Personal Devotion to the Buddha 8.9.2.1 Chinese and Japanese Mahayana “Body Art” 8.9.3 Vajrayana: Himalayan Buddhism 8.9.3.1 The Himalayan Ngakpa 8.10 Buddhist Funerary Rituals 8.11 Female Monastic Tradition 8.12 Interreligious Mixing at Hindu Shrines 8.13 Summary Bibliography References Chapter 9: Sikhism 9.1 Guru Nanak’s Life and Teachings 9.2 Sikh Adoption of Vedic Concepts 9.3 Syncretism or New Path? 9.4 The Nine Human Successor Gurus 9.5 Hair Practices in Khalsa Initiation Rite 9.6 Why Uncut Hair? 9.7 Theology Behind Uncut Hair and the Turban 9.8 Dastar Bandi 9.9 Tying the Turban 9.10 Sacred Sound: The Guru Granth Sahib 9.11 Sikh History, 1799 to Present 9.12 Tat Khalsa and the Singh Sabha Movement 9.13 The Five Ks 9.14 Does Hair Alone Define a Sikh? 9.15 Meditation Practice 9.16 Personal Reflections 9.17 The Sikh Diaspora 9.18 Summary Bibliography References Part III: Contemporary Relevance, Future Persistence Chapter 10: Comparing Practices 10.1 Joining Symbol and Praxis 10.2 Common Observances 10.3 Female Head Covering 10.4 Male Head Covering 10.5 Head Shaving 10.6 Male Facial Hair (Beard) Treatment 10.7 Removing Unwanted Body Hair 10.8 Forced Hair Cutting or Shaving 10.9 Preserving Cut Hair and Fingernails 10.10 Hair to Create Group Identity 10.11 Hair Forming Gender Boundaries 10.12 Rites of Passage 10.13 Hair as Sacrifice 10.14 Hair as a Sign of Animal Nature 10.15 Children’s Hair Rites 10.16 Female Hair Purity Rites 10.17 Funerary Rites 10.18 Summary References Chapter 11: Contemporary Relevance 11.1 Relevance for the Adherent 11.2 Immigration and Misunderstanding 11.3 Conflicting Interpretations 11.4 “Team” Membership 11.5 Issues in Healthcare 11.6 Improving the Common Weal Bibliography References Chapter 12: Persistence or Abeyance? 12.1 Ancient Meaning, Modern Context 12.2 Sacred Material Objects, Religious Power 12.3 Persistence 12.3.1 Judaism 12.3.2 Christianity 12.3.3 Islam 12.3.4 Hinduism 12.3.5 Buddhism 12.3.6 Sikhism 12.3.7 Summary 12.4 Will They Persist? 12.5 The Future Bibliography References Index