To Veil or Not to Veil

A Case Study of Identity Negotiation among Muslim Women in Austin, Texas

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2366566
AutoresJen’nan Ghazal Read (0000-0001-9679-106X, The University of Texas at Austin), Jen''Nan Ghazal Read, Jen'Nan Ghazal Read (The University of Texas at Austin), John Bartkowski (0000-0002-1975-0421, Mississippi State University), John P Bartkowski
Año2000
Volumen14
Número3
Páginas395-417
Fecha de publicación2000-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaGender & Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0891-2432 • E-ISSN: 1552-3977
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/089124300014003003
OpenAlexW2114821019
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas187
Referencias citadas46

The increasingly pervasive practice of veiling among Muslim women has stimulated a great deal of scholarly investigation and debate. This study brings empirical evidence to bear on current debates about the meaning of the veil in Islam. This article first examines the conflicting meanings of the veil among Muslim religious elites and Islamic feminists. Although the dominant gender discourse among Muslim elites strongly favors this cultural practice, an antiveiling discourse promulgated by Islamic feminists has gained ground within recent years. This study then examines how these discursive disputes affect gender identity negotiation among veiled and unveiled Muslim women living in Austin, Texas. Interviews with these women highlight how their gender identities reproduce and reformulate existing Muslim gender discourses. Special attention is paid to the subjective disparities and points of congruence between both groups of respondents. This study concludes by suggesting avenues for future research on the intersection of gender, religion, and cultural difference

Aesthetics · Islam · Negotiation · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Gender Studies · Gender, Security, and Conflict · History · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Psychology