An interdisciplinary overview of the hair that covers our heads and bodies in terms of its social, aesthetic and cultural significance.
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Hair – not just as a “crowning glory,” but rather as a social signal and cultural phenomenon. Our hair sends messages about our gender, sexual maturity, age, social status and world view. This interdisciplinary study of the styling of hair and beards and the wearing of wigs examines their significance in a biological, historical and cultural context. It draws on literary, archaeological, anthropological, scientific and visual sources to look at global cultures from the pre-literary age, through ancient times and the modern era, to the present.
Martin Rychlík (1977) studied ethnology as well as history and the theory of culture at Charles University. In 2009 he spent a year at the University of Tokyo (communication science). From 2000 to 2006 he worked as a writer at the Czech Press Office (ČTK), then as an editor and reporter at the weekly Euro (2006–2010). After 2010 he worked for the news website Česká pozice and since 2013 he has been writing for the newspaper Lidové noviny about science, research and higher education.