ISL 372 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: The Veils, Chador, Geopolitics
Document Summary
The veil is a piece of fabric that is politicized like no other. The (cid:448)eil is i(cid:373)pli(cid:272)ated i(cid:374) a (cid:449)ide ra(cid:374)ge of (cid:272)ultural a(cid:374)d (cid:894)geo(cid:895) politi(cid:272)al de(cid:271)ates o(cid:374) (cid:449)o(cid:373)e(cid:374)(cid:859)s roles, Islam and muslim cultures, secularism, democracy, terrorism, and war. The treatment of the veil as a symbol deprives veiled women of the public recognition of their humanity. Photos of veiled women in mainstream media often portray the veil as a prison. France is an important context for the analysis of the veil because of its history as a colonial power and exporter of negative images of islam and the veil. France banned the headscarf in schools in 2004. Then banned the niqab (face covering) from all public spaces in 2011. Hijabis a term for a veiled woman used by some. The (cid:448)eil(cid:859)s (cid:894)re(cid:895)e(cid:373)erge(cid:374)(cid:272)e has (cid:271)ee(cid:374) (cid:272)o(cid:374)(cid:374)e(cid:272)ted to musli(cid:373) ethi(cid:272)s, as (cid:449)ell as (cid:374)eoli(cid:271)eral economic and political restructuring.
