Cornell University Press The Politics of the Headscarf in the United States

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 U.S. 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. Review "Those who are looking at the identity construction and citizenship practices of Muslim-American women will find this book useful for understanding the intersection of religion and politics in the lives of American Muslim women. This book also illuminates several research areas such as American Islam, Islam and politics, and Muslim women in a minority context." Source: Choice "Featuring interviews as well as quantitative data, this book is an excellent assessment of the experience of Muslim-American women who wear the hijab.... This is an important read for those interested in understanding the unique experiences of Muslim women in America today." Source: Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual "Offers notable results to interpret the role of religion in the current political environment in the United States." Source: Reading Religion About the Author Bozena C. Welborne is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government at Smith College. Aubrey L. Westfall is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Wheaton College. Özge Çelik Russell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Gazi University. Sarah A. Tobin is a Senior Researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway. She is the author of Everyday Piety: Islam and Economy in Jordan.