Theorizing Religious Dress

To understand the role of dress in religious experience and belief more fully, theoretical approaches have begun to include phenomenology, performativity, and embodiment, though semantic differentiation remains the organizing principle behind many of these approaches. This article applies a number of theoretical approaches to the evidence for dress in ancient Greek religion in order to examine their suitability. As in Greek culture more generally, dress in the context of religious practice marks identity, communicates personal characteristics and community ideals, and negotiates hierarchy. Its close relationship to the body makes it suited to participate in the construction of gender as well as in the performance of authority and belief. Through an examination of the ramifications of the structural challenges of the ancient Greek religious system, a more inclusive view of the intersection of dress and religion can be posited that will be useful to a broader range of religions and periods.