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Tracing “the Anorexic” and “the Veiled Woman”: Towards a Relational Approach

Pedwell, Carolyn (2007) Tracing “the Anorexic” and “the Veiled Woman”: Towards a Relational Approach. Working paper. Gender Institute, The London School of Economics and Political Science (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:42904)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.

Abstract

The ‘new’ Muslim veiling phenomenon represents a co

ntemporary ‘equivalent’ to the

growing epidemic of anorexia in the industrialised

West, Mervat Nasser has argued

(1999). Like anorexia

1

, she contends, the new veiling

2

, represented by the growing

number of young Muslim women wearing Islamic dress

within universities, workplaces,

urban centres and political organisations around th

e world, responds to ‘conflicting

cultural messages and contradictory cultural expect

ations’ experienced by women

globally (407). Both embodied practices

3

function as forms of problem solving which, in

the absence of real power or control, help women co

pe with the competing demands of

ambitious professional goals and pressure to mainta

in a traditional female identity. And

both, she suggests, ultimately lead to the reproduc

tion of tradition and the reinforcement

of gender inequality.

Item Type: Reports and Papers (Working paper)
Subjects: H Social Sciences
H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Women > HQ1236 Women and the state. Women's rights. Women's political activity
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Depositing User: Carolyn Pedwell
Date Deposited: 11 Sep 2014 10:49 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:17 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/42904 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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