Emile Durkheim - “Religious beliefs and practices unite into one single moral community all those who adhere to them”. Dress codes can be seen as part of these unifying practices.
- A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things. Dress codes are part of the practices that differentiate the sacred from the profane.
Talcott Parsons: “Society is a system of interconnected parts that work together to maintain a state of balance and social equilibrium”. Dress codes in temples help maintain social equilibrium by reinforcing shared norms and values
Conflict perspectives
Karl Marx - “Religion is the opium of the people” Dress codes can be viewed as a way to control and pacify the masses, reinforcing social hierarchies.
Max Weber - Status groups are stratified according to the principles of their consumption of goods as represented by special styles of life. Temple dress codes can signify and reinforce social status, contributing to the stratification within religious communities.
C. Wright Mills - In so far as the power elite enact religious rituals, they tend to become the symbols of the social order. The enforcement of dress codes in temples by the elite serves to symbolize and maintain their dominance within the social order.
Symbolic Interactionism
Erving Goffman- “Society is an information game a world of appearances, where impressions are managed”. Dress codes in temples help manage impressions and convey respect and piety.
Feminist perspectives
Simone de Beauvoir - “ One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman” (The Second Sex ). Dress codes in temples contribute to the social construction of gender, dictating how women should present themselves and reinforcing traditional gender roles.
Uma Chakravarti - The complex intersectionality of caste, gender, and religion shapes the experiences of women in India”. Temple dress codes can be tools of intersectional oppression, marginalizing women based on caste and religious norm.
Dress code in temples impact society in several ways .
1.Gender dynamics - dress code can impact gender dynamics by imposing specific attire requirement of women which may reinforce traditional gender roles.
2.Social discipline - sense of social discipline and adherence to communal standards..
3.cultural integration and social cohesion - group of shared cultural and religious framework, reinforcing social bonds within the community.
4.preserve cultural and religious traditions, reinforcing communal identity and continuity of practice.
5.commercialization - commercialization of religious attire, with business capitalising on the demands for specific clothing for temple visit.
6.Socialization - dress code contribute to socialization processes by instilling values related to appearance and behaviour in religious and cultural contexts.
It's really necessary?
1.Cultural continuity - uphold traditional values and practice, preservation of cultural heritage and communal identity within religious context.
2.Reinforcing the sanctity of the space - sacred atmosphere of temples.
Emile durkheim Sacred and profane theory
Sacred - dress code are part of creating environment where sacred rituals and space are respected and preserved, by wearing specific attire, worshippers mark the transition from the profane ( everyday life ) to the sacred ( religious practices)
Profane - dress code helps distinguish between ordinary clothing and attire deemed appropriate for engaging with the sacred,
