Re-casting the veil: Situated meanings of covering

Abstract

This commentary offers a socio-cultural anthropological critical overview of studies of covering, popularly called “veiling” and “the veil” as practiced predominantly (though not exclusively) by some (though not all) Muslim women. The goal is to review studies that enhance understanding of this practice by detaching it from ethnocentric and culture-bound images of gender and religion—especially women and Islam—pervasive in some media portrayals and implied in some political policies in the West, for example, France. Drawing on these works, this commentary will also discuss the essay on this topic by Wagner, Sen, Permanadeli, and Howarth, outlining the contributions, issues raised, and areas of further inquiry suggested by these authors’ and others’ research on the veil in relation to Muslim women’s identity in contexts of religion and symbolism, aesthetics, political pressures and resistance to stereotyping.

The Materiality and Social Agency of theMalaḥfa(Mauritanian Veil)

“…This conception of dress diverges from the ways in which scholars have previously analyzed Muslim women’s veiling. Scholars have recently critiqued analyses of veils that present them as primarily religious or oppressive garments (Abu-Lughod 2002; Moors & Tarlo 2007; Rasmussen 2009, 2013). They argue that veiling practices are not monolithic, but rather are shaped by particular cultural, political, and religious contexts (Abu-Lughod 2002; Rasmussen 2013).…”

“…Scholars have recently critiqued analyses of veils that present them as primarily religious or oppressive garments (Abu-Lughod 2002; Moors & Tarlo 2007; Rasmussen 2009, 2013). They argue that veiling practices are not monolithic, but rather are shaped by particular cultural, political, and religious contexts (Abu-Lughod 2002; Rasmussen 2013). Scholars have demonstrated how veils can be political tools that women employ for resistance (El Guindi 1999), signs of modernity (Bernal 1994), and fashionable garments (Moors & Tarlo 2007; Rabine 2013; Renne 2013; Tarlo 2010).…”

“…This is due to the assumption “that it is easier for women to arouse the sexual feeling of a man than the other way around, and therefore, women should cover up those parts of their anatomy that can draw the male gaze” (Sandikci & Ger 2005:63–64). Women are thus seen as being responsible for controlling men’s sexuality and “the function of the veil in these contexts, therefore, is not to attract attention, but to visually withdraw from public space” (Rasmussen 2013:240). These ideas serve to reinforce patriarchy, keeping men central to women’s dress and suggesting that women’s sexuality is dangerous and must be controlled.…”

Muslim journalists in Western media: Maria TV reported by Telecinco, CNN and the BBC

“…The hijab, the niqab and the burka (see note 1), as indicators of social class, religion, ethnic origins and gender, have inevitably become central emblems in a growing Islamophobia -a newsworthy item for Western media and a source of tension between communities (Doyle, 2011;Hoodfar, 2003;Sloan, 2011;Welch, 2007). Rasmussen (2013) criticizes Western societies for their reductionist oversimplifications of the 'Muslim world' and 'Muslim women'. The Muslim woman, in fact, is doubly discriminated against: as a woman and as a Muslim.…”

To be a true Muslim: online discussions on the headscarf among Moroccan-Dutch women

“…Dwyer 1999;Ehrkamp 2013;Hancock 2014;Mansson McGinty 2014;Mishra and Shirazi 2010;Peek 2005), and strategically use clothing to negotiate access to various social spaces (Droogsma 2007;Siraj 2011). This research examines personal narratives about religion within the broader historical, cultural and political contexts in which Muslim women find themselves (Rasmussen 2013). The focus is on the diversity of women's experiences and interpretations, THIS IS A DRAFT -Please cite the published version in Gender, Place and Culture: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0966369X.2014.958068#.VX6k9_ntlBc and how they define their religious and gender identities in light of broad-based cultural representations.…”