Hijab and the Republic: Uncovering the French Headscarf Debate (Gender and Globalization) [Paperback]

Bronwyn Winter (Author), Susan Hawthorne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2009 | Series: Gender and Globalization

The hijab is arguably the most discussed and controversial item of women's clothing today. It has become the primary global symbol of female Muslim identity for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and is the focus of much debate in the confrontation between Islam and the West. Nowhere has this debate been more acute or complex than in France. In Hijab and the Republic, Bronwyn Winter provides a riveting account of the controversial 2004 French law to ban Islamic headscarves and other religious signs from public schools. While much has been written on the subject, Winter offers a unique feminist perspective, carefully delineating its political and cultural aspects.

To understand the current controversy, the author traces the history of secularism in France and the shift in interpretations of Islam before turning to a review of the more recent past. Drawing on both scholarly literature and popular commentary, she examines the headscarf debate from its inception in 1989 through fluctuations in its intensity in public consciousness over the 1990s to its surging significance in the wake of 9/11 and the consequent shift in global politics. Winter argues convincingly that the issue must be understood within the specific historical and cultural context of France and through a feminist lens, since gender is fundamental to the debate about veiling Muslim women. Hijab and the Republic presents a fresh and richly detailed examination of a subject that remains at the forefront of discussion about Islam and the West.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The hijab, the head scarf worn by many Muslim women, has been the subject of considerable Western attention, curiosity—and even condemnation. Winter (co-editor of After Shock: September 11, 2001: Feminist Perspectives) focuses on the vociferous debates raging in France, where an official policy of secularism has made wearing conspicuous religious attire the cause for legal battle and the topic of public discussions drenched in covert racism, classism and paternalism toward women. In Frances nearly 20 years of argument over hijab, women and girls were at the center of a debate waged largely by men, while the participation of women themselves in the debate was... more as symbols than as social actors. Winters feminist analysis suggests convincingly that the concept women believe what they wish and wear what they wish... is one thing. The ways in which these beliefs and appearances are coded and put to the service of other agendas is another—and that all cultures and societies must address male domination and religious interference in their own backyards rather than treating such issues as the exclusive province of an exotic Other. (Feb.)
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About the Author

Bronwyn Winter teaches in the Department of French Studies at the University of Sydney, where she is program director of International and Comparative Literary Studies in the School of Languages and Cultures. She has written widely on the position of women in French public discourses and institutions. She is the contributing coeditor of After Shock: September 11, 2001: Global Feminist Perspectives. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Syracuse University Press (February 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815631995
• ISBN-13: 978-0815631996
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,407,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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