Politics of the Headscarf in the United States

C. Welborne Bozena, L. Westfall Aubrey, Celik Russell Ozge, A. Tobin Sarah

Description

The Politics of the Headscarf in the United States investigates the social and political effects of the practice of Muslim-American women wearing the headscarf (hijab) in a non-Muslim state. The authors find the act of head covering is not politically motivated in the US setting, but rather it accentuates and engages Muslim identity in uniquely American ways.Transcending contemporary political debates on the issue of Islamic head covering, The Politics of the Headscarf in the United States addresses concerns beyond the simple, particular phenomenon of wearing the headscarf itself, with the authors confronting broader issues of lasting import. These issues include the questions of safeguarding individual and collective identity in a diverse democracy, exploring the ways in which identities inform and shape political practices, and sourcing the meaning of citizenship and belonging in the United States through the voices of Muslim-American women themselves.The Politics of the Headscarf in the United States superbly melds quantitative data with qualitative assessment, and the authors smoothly integrate the results of nearly two thousand survey responses from Muslim-American women across forty-nine states. Seventy-two in-depth interviews with Muslim women living in the United States bolster the arguments put forward by the authors to provide an incredibly well-rounded approach to this fascinating topic.Ultimately, the authors argue, women's experiences with identity and boundary construction through their head-covering practices carry important political consequences that may well shed light on the future of the United States as a model of democratic pluralism.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• USA
• Political science of religion
• Freedom of religion
• Human rights
• Anthropology
• États-Unis
• Islam

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 mai 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781501715396
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

 THE POLITICS OF THE HEADSCARF IN THE UNITED STATES

THEPOLITICSOFTHE HEADSCARF IN THE UNITED STATES n B o ze n a C . W e l b o r n e , A u b r e y L . W e s tfa l l , ÖzgeÇel˙ikRussell, a n d S a r a h A . To b i n

CORNELLUNIVERSITYPRESS Ithaca and London

Copyright © 2018 by Cornell University

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First published 2018 by Cornell University Press

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data Names: Welborne, Bozena C., author. | Westfall, Aubrey L.,  author. | Russell, Özge Çelik, author. | Tobin, Sarah A.,  1977– author. Title: The politics of the headscarf in the United States /  Bozena C. Welborne, Aubrey L. Westfall, Özge Çelik  Russell, and Sarah A. Tobin. Description: Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2018. |  Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017046634 (print) | LCCN 2017047979  (ebook) | ISBN 9781501715389 (epub/mobi) | ISBN  9781501715396 (pdf ) | ISBN 9781501715365 | ISBN  9781501715365 (cloth ; alk. paper) | ISBN 9781501715372  (pbk. ; alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Hijab (Islamic clothing)—Political aspects—  United States. | Hijab (Islamic clothing)—Social aspects—  United States. | Muslim women—Clothing—United States. |  Muslim women—United States—Attitudes. | Clothing  and dress—Religious aspects—Islam. | Islam—United  States—Public opinion. | Public opinion—United States. Classification: LCC BP190.5.H44 (ebook) | LCC BP190.5.  H44 W45 2018 (print) | DDC 297.5/76—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017046634

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  Co nt e nt s

List of Figures and Tablesvii Acknowledgmentsix A Note on Author Contributionsxi

Introduction 1. The Islamic Head Covering 2. Unity amid Diversity? 3. Visibly Different 4. Islamic Ethics and Practices of Head Covering in American Political Life 5. Head Covering and Political Participation 6. Citizenship without Representation ConclusionsandImplications

1 18 51 76

109

130 156 185

Appendixes A. Survey and Variable Descriptions 197 B. Comparison of Survey Respondent Characteristics with Those from Pew Surveys 202 C. Primary OpenEnded Interview Questions for Focus Groups 206 D. Focus Group Demographics 207 E. Logistic Regression Predicting the Probability of Experiences with Othering among Covered Respondents 209

v

vi CONTENTS

F. Description of Simultaneous Equation Model and Variables 210 G. Structural Parameter Estimates of Simultaneous Equation Models (SIMs) 213 Glossary of Foreign Words 215 References 217 Index 241

  F i g u r e s a n d Ta b l e s

Figures I.1. Types head coveringof Islamic 1.1. Response to “Why did you decide to wear a Muslim head covering?” broken down by whether piety was also selected 1.2. Female family members who cover, divided by US and foreignborn 1.3. The composition of social networks 3.1. The spectrum of othering 3.2. Reported hate crime incidents against Muslims 3.3. The percentage of covered survey participants experiencing othering 3.4. Comparison of perception of othering experiences among covered respondents between converts and nonconverts 5.1. Head covering and formal political participation 5.2. Flow chart of expected relationships between head covering, the mosque, and political participation

Tables 2.1. Racial and ethnic demographics of American Muslims 2.2. Opinions relating to head covering A.1. Survey and variable descriptions B.1. Comparison of survey participant demographics with those in Pew surveys from 2007 to 2011 D.1. Focus group demographics E.1. Logistic regression predicting the probability of experiences with othering among covered respondents G.1. Structural parameter estimates of simultaneous equation models (SIMs)

13

37

40 42 80 94

97

101 149

151

57 71 197

204 207

209

213

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  A c k n o w l e d g m e nt s

Thisbookwouldnothavebeenpossiblewith out the help of many people. We owe the deepest debt of gratitude to the Muslim women who participated in our survey and focus groups. Because we refer to them by pseudonyms in order to keep their identities confiden tial, we are unable to name them. They should know, however, that their thoughtful insights are the heart of the book. We were outsiders in their communities, yet we found ourselves welcomed with kindness and gener osity. We are so grateful that they were willing to share their thoughts and experiences. They enriched the book and our lives. The seed of the idea of this book was planted when most of us were fin ishing graduate school. As this work progressed, a number of friends and col leagues at many different institutions offered various forms of intellectual and emotional support and encouragement. We are grateful to the many members of our academic departments and writing groups who provided encourage ment and insight along the way. Special thanks to Jonathan BrumburgKraus, Bill Eubank, Peony Fhagan, Bojana FortWelborne, Susanne Martin, Simon McPherson, Kathy Morgan, Robert Ostergard, Tristy VickMajors, and Cindy Westfall, all of whom read and provided feedback on parts of the manuscript and this project. We are especially thankful for Susan Clarke’s mentorship. Susan’s was the first opinion we sought with questions on the substance of our work, on advice pertaining to manuscript negotiations, and on insights into the difficulties of collaboration. She always urged us not to undervalue our work and to be ambitious in our expectations. The faculty and staff at various institutions provided us with the time, space, and finances to complete this project. Smith College; the University of Nevada, Reno; Virginia Wesleyan College; and Wheaton College all provided grants to cover the costs associated with distributing the survey, conducting focus groups, transcription, and editing the manuscript. We also relied on the help of Georgetown University, Loyola University in Chicago, the University of Houston, and the University of California at Berkeley for help in setting up and hosting the focus group interviews. In particular, we thank Aminah

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