The meaning of the habit : religious orders, dress and identity, 1215-1650
It is well known that there was an increasing concern with clothing as a means of social and cultural distinction in the late medieval and early modern periods. This has been called the birth of fashion. One way in which this importance was expressed was through the development of some well-defined sartorial codes and rules, both tacit and explicit. These gradually lead to more exhaustive and specific regulatory forms. Hitherto, most of the scholarly emphasis has been on the secular world, particularly through the study of sumptuary laws, whereas analysis of the ecclesiastical sphere (the Carmelite order apart) has not got much attention beyond anecdotal description. This dissertation aims to provide a 'thick description' to understand the meaning of ecclesiastical dress in a social and cultural context for the period 1215-1650. Thus, the focus is not on clothes as such, but on the ways by which dress can express conscious and unconscious ideas at the base of the interaction between people, groups and institutions. Studying the dynamics, ideas, worries and controversies generated by religious habits, both within and outside the religious orders, reveals the layers of meaning that exist beyond the anecdotal
Concha Sahli, A.
The meaning of the habit : religious orders, dress and identity, 1215-1650. It is well known that there was an increasing concern with clothing as a means of social and cultural distinction in the late medieval and early modern periods. This has been called the birth of fashion. One way in which this importance was expressed was through the development of some well-defined sartorial codes and rules, both tacit and explicit. These gradually lead to more exhaustive and specific regulatory forms. Hitherto, most of the scholarly emphasis has been on the secular world, particularly through the study of sumptuary laws, whereas analysis of the ecclesiastical sphere (the Carmelite order apart) has not got much attention beyond anecdotal description. This dissertation aims to provide a 'thick description' to understand the meaning of ecclesiastical dress in a social and cultural context for the period 1215-1650. Thus, the focus is not on clothes as such, but on the ways by which dress can express conscious and unconscious ideas at the base of the interaction between people, groups and institutions. Studying the dynamics, ideas, worries and controversies generated by religious habits, both within and outside the religious orders, reveals the layers of meaning that exist beyond the anecdotal
mean habit religious_order dress identity well_know increase concern clothing mean social_cultural distinction late_medieval early_modern_period call birth fashion one_way importance express development well_defined code rule tacit explicit gradually lead exhaustive specific regulatory form hitherto scholarly emphasis secular world particularly study law whereas analysis ecclesiastical sphere order apart get much_attention beyond anecdotal description aim_provide thick description mean ecclesiastical dress social_cultural context period thus focus clothes way dress express conscious unconscious idea base interaction people group institution studying dynamic idea worry controversy generate religious habit within_outside religious_order reveals layer mean exist beyond anecdotal