Religious Hair Display and Its Meanings

by William C. Innes, Jr

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030699765
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	04/30/2021
Series:	Popular Culture, Religion and Society. A Social-Scientific Approach , #4
Edition description:	1st ed. 2021
Pages:	279
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

William C. Innes, Jr. earned a PhD in Ecclesiastical History from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland), and has written over his career on religion and society. Currently, he teaches in Africa and Asia in an MAOL program through Development Associates International, and in the University of Delaware’s Life-Long Learning program.

Table of Contents

1.Introduction.- 2.Judaism.- 3.Christianity.- 4.Islam.- 5.Hinduism.- 6.Buddhism.- 7.Sikhism.- 8.Looking for Common Ground.- 9.Consulting the Social Sciences.- 10.Conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

I personally learned a lot reading the book, which is probably the best criterion for evaluating the merits of any academic book. I learned a lot because as a natural scientist, the premises and methods used Innes were foreign to me. … For what it is, it is very good. I highly recommend it for anyone interested about learning more about the relationship between hair and religion from a historical and sociological perspective.” (Jay R. Feierman, Reviews in Science, Religion and Theology, Issue (1-2), June, 2022)

From the Publisher