The Politics of the Veil

Nonfiction, History, France, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Discrimination & Race Relations
Cover of the book The Politics of the Veil by Joan Wallach Scott, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Joan Wallach Scott ISBN: 9781400827893
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: April 11, 2009
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Joan Wallach Scott
ISBN: 9781400827893
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: April 11, 2009
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

In 2004, the French government instituted a ban on the wearing of "conspicuous signs" of religious affiliation in public schools. Though the ban applies to everyone, it is aimed at Muslim girls wearing headscarves. Proponents of the law insist it upholds France's values of secular liberalism and regard the headscarf as symbolic of Islam's resistance to modernity. The Politics of the Veil is an explosive refutation of this view, one that bears important implications for us all.

Joan Wallach Scott, the renowned pioneer of gender studies, argues that the law is symptomatic of France's failure to integrate its former colonial subjects as full citizens. She examines the long history of racism behind the law as well as the ideological barriers thrown up against Muslim assimilation. She emphasizes the conflicting approaches to sexuality that lie at the heart of the debate--how French supporters of the ban view sexual openness as the standard for normalcy, emancipation, and individuality, and the sexual modesty implicit in the headscarf as proof that Muslims can never become fully French. Scott maintains that the law, far from reconciling religious and ethnic differences, only exacerbates them. She shows how the insistence on homogeneity is no longer feasible for France--or the West in general--and how it creates the very "clash of civilizations" said to be at the root of these tensions.

The Politics of the Veil calls for a new vision of community where common ground is found amid our differences, and where the embracing of diversity--not its suppression--is recognized as the best path to social harmony.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 2004, the French government instituted a ban on the wearing of "conspicuous signs" of religious affiliation in public schools. Though the ban applies to everyone, it is aimed at Muslim girls wearing headscarves. Proponents of the law insist it upholds France's values of secular liberalism and regard the headscarf as symbolic of Islam's resistance to modernity. The Politics of the Veil is an explosive refutation of this view, one that bears important implications for us all.

Joan Wallach Scott, the renowned pioneer of gender studies, argues that the law is symptomatic of France's failure to integrate its former colonial subjects as full citizens. She examines the long history of racism behind the law as well as the ideological barriers thrown up against Muslim assimilation. She emphasizes the conflicting approaches to sexuality that lie at the heart of the debate--how French supporters of the ban view sexual openness as the standard for normalcy, emancipation, and individuality, and the sexual modesty implicit in the headscarf as proof that Muslims can never become fully French. Scott maintains that the law, far from reconciling religious and ethnic differences, only exacerbates them. She shows how the insistence on homogeneity is no longer feasible for France--or the West in general--and how it creates the very "clash of civilizations" said to be at the root of these tensions.

The Politics of the Veil calls for a new vision of community where common ground is found amid our differences, and where the embracing of diversity--not its suppression--is recognized as the best path to social harmony.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book The Bells in Their Silence by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book Producing Security by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book The Origins of the Urban Crisis by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book Kierkegaard's Writings, XII, Volume I by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book Ernst Kantorowicz by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book Christian Political Ethics by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book Fourier Analysis by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book Made with Words by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book The Handbook of Organizational Economics by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book (God) After Auschwitz by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book The Evolution of a Nation by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book The Cash Ceiling by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book Racial Realignment by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book Darwinian Agriculture by Joan Wallach Scott
Cover of the book Picture Titles by Joan Wallach Scott
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy