Dress as an expression of religious identity : on contemporary Zoroastrians in Iran

In this article the author undertakes an attempt to analyze the role and place of dress in the religious identity of contemporary Zoroastrians in Iran. By groups that construct their identity as based on their specific relationship to the sacred, dress may be employed as a visual emblem of the community, symbolizing its connection to invisible world and telling the difference between them as a religious community and others. The author presents links between minority status of Zoroastrians in Iran and their clothing using the examples of both everyday and ritual dress.