A French-English bilingual publication that focuses on the central place occupied by the body, particularly in its gendered aspects, in the expression and management of religion, by religions themselves, and by the State.

The place occupied by the body at the intersection of religion and politics deserves particular attention. This work grants it by mobilizing a diversity of scientific disciplines and comparing a plurality of religious traditions and socio-political contexts. It thus intends to resituate and broaden the debate on secularism and the visibility of religion, by focusing on the body and its gendered dimensions, which reflections on the principles, laws, and models of secularism are too often content to touch on. To do this, the chapters gathered here focus not only on the management of religious symbols worn on the body in public or private spheres but also on the supervision and repercussions of religious practices affecting the body in areas as varied as sexuality, health, and fashion. Examples relating to the perception of the outfits of Muslim and Mennonite women in Quebec and Canada, the clothing strategies of members of Christian non-governmental organizations at the United Nations, the body rituals of “transgender” hijra communities in India or even reproductive health women and religion in Ireland thus make it possible to explore how the corporeal and material dimensions of religion profoundly influence the place and visibility granted to it in different contexts.
 

Florence Pasche Guignard is an assistant professor in religious sciences at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Sciences at Laval University.

Catherine Larouche is an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Laval University.