Hijab and the Republic: Uncovering the French Headscarf Debate

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. Drawing on both scholarly literature and popular commentary, she examines the headscarf debate from its inception in 1989 through fluctuations in its intensity over the 1990s to its surging significance in the wake of 9 / 11 and the consequent shift in global politics.

Author: Bronwyn Winter
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: 02/01/2009
Pages: 456
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780815631996

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 12/15/2008 pg. 45
Chronicle of Higher Education 02/13/2009 pg. 20
Choice 11/01/2009
Reference and Research Bk News 05/01/2009 pg. 78

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 is the contributing coeditor of After Shock: September 11, 2001: Global Feminist Perspectives.