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Contemporary discourses on Muslim women and veiling : a critical analysis
(2005) Hoel, Nina
I propose that dominant discourses on veiling objectify Muslim women and do not engage with Muslim women dialogically as subjects capable of agency and selfdefinition. In this thesis I explore this problem critically within two different contexts, namely in selected Muslim minority contexts of Europe and America, and in the particular Muslim majority context of Iran. I illustrate that these highly politicized discourses often instrumentalise representations of Muslim women for their respective ideological agendas. I then present an alternative mode of engagement with the issue of veiling by examining the varying, marginalized voices, subjectivities and agency of Muslim women in their understandings of this phenomenon. It is imperative to question stereotypes and universalistic assumptions concerning Muslim women's bodies, modesty, dressing and agency in order to advocate a new gender consciousness which sees women as subjects. The various discourses of the veil reflect that Muslim women's choices and opinions are divided. As such, it is important to listen to Muslim women's voices to be able to create a discourse that is based on dialogue, authentic representations, mutual understanding and respect.