The chador is more than a matter of taste in clothing or a religious regulation; it is the incarnation of a belief, a culture, and a tradition. Intermingled with it are the profound emotions of the women who have been either voluntarily or forcibly practicing the wearing of the veil. The intention of this thesis is to allow one to see the chador as an extended threshold that both invites and rejects. By concealing the body of the woman, the veil establishes a complex relationship, repelling the external world while simultaneously drawing attention to itself. In passing through this threshold, one will begin to see the invasion of colors, - blue as sacredness, white as peace, and red as rebellion gradually dispersing into the air and onto its monotonous black surface. In this in-between space, brightness battles with darkness, as it tries to trickle in through the minimal openings. One may begin to wonder if a woman is protected as if in her house, or bounded as if in a cage. One will thus find herself with a sense of uncertainty - whether to stay or to leave. This thesis aims to explore the chador and the space between it and the body of the woman. The chador has been constantly questioned from both cultural and religious perspectives. It creates a specific space that, from an architect’s point of view, requires an investigation as an externally imposed zone. As a physical manifestation of the chador, this thesis proposes a theatre in which the journey from the entrance, vestibules, and galleries, through the stage, and into the house will allow one to experience and assimilate the senses buried within the veil and the body of the woman.

No description available.

The chador is more than a matter of taste in clothing or a religious regulation; it is the incarnation of a belief, a culture, and a tradition. Intermingled with it are the profound emotions of the women who have been either voluntarily or forcibly practicing the wearing of the veil. The intention of this thesis is to allow one to see the chador as an extended threshold that both invites and rejects. By concealing the body of the woman, the veil establishes a complex relationship, repelling the external world while simultaneously drawing attention to itself. In passing through this threshold, one will begin to see the invasion of colors, - blue as sacredness, white as peace, and red as rebellion gradually dispersing into the air and onto its monotonous black surface. In this in-between space, brightness battles with darkness, as it tries to trickle in through the minimal openings. One may begin to wonder if a woman is protected as if in her house, or bounded as if in a cage. One will thus find herself with a sense of uncertainty - whether to stay or to leave. This thesis aims to explore the chador and the space between it and the body of the woman. The chador has been constantly questioned from both cultural and religious perspectives. It creates a specific space that, from an architect’s point of view, requires an investigation as an externally imposed zone. As a physical manifestation of the chador, this thesis proposes a theatre in which the journey from the entrance, vestibules, and galleries, through the stage, and into the house will allow one to experience and assimilate the senses buried within the veil and the body of the woman.

No abstract available. / Thesis (LL.M.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

The purpose of this study is to determine, by a chronological review, the evolution of the mask-veil symbol as a device in Hawthorne's fiction and to ascertain its relevancy as a concrete manifestation of the abstract idea it betokens.

The population of 2nd generation Canadian-Muslim women who choose to veil, or wear the hijab, is steadily increasing. Rather than inquire why these women choose to do so, this study explores how Muslim youth use the veil as a fashion accessory. Guided by research questions that focus on the representation of the veil in popular culture, this study explores the veil as a sign as the women negotiate ‘being Muslim’ and ‘being Canadian’. Informed by a cultural studies conceptual framework, veiling in fashionable ways, or, ‘voguing the veil’, is explored as a form of ‘public pedagogy’ (Giroux, 2004). Using an Advocacy and Participatory methodology, the four women and myself engage in a collaborative inquiry examining meanings behind how we vogue the veil. Through a series of interviews, focus groups and journal entries accompanied by personal photographs (photovoice), the women and I co-construct narratives around their identity as women who veil in ways that contest dominant discourse. Together we explore the impact of constructs such as beauty, femininity and sexuality on our identities as Muslim women who veil in Canada. Co-constructing participant case studies permits readers “access to the world from the view-point of individuals who have not traditionally held control over the means of imaging the world” (Berg, 2007, p. 233), at many times surprising and contradicting what is ‘known’ about the veiled Muslim woman. The findings reveal themes that deeply impact how the women choose to veil. These themes include the strategies the women use to employ their veils as a means of agency and how, within and through different pedagogical spaces, the women’s performances and performativity of the veil shifts. The women in the study demonstrate that by ‘voguing the veil’, they are in fact attempting to transform the meaning of the veil as a marker of Canadian Identity. Using the voices, photos and narratives of the four women I argue that through ‘voguing the veil’ these young Muslim women are actively entering into and creating spaces so to be seen as an integral part of Canadian society and as such can be recognized as an emerging subculture.

No description available.

The population of 2nd generation Canadian-Muslim women who choose to veil, or wear the hijab, is steadily increasing. Rather than inquire why these women choose to do so, this study explores how Muslim youth use the veil as a fashion accessory. Guided by research questions that focus on the representation of the veil in popular culture, this study explores the veil as a sign as the women negotiate ‘being Muslim’ and ‘being Canadian’. Informed by a cultural studies conceptual framework, veiling in fashionable ways, or, ‘voguing the veil’, is explored as a form of ‘public pedagogy’ (Giroux, 2004). Using an Advocacy and Participatory methodology, the four women and myself engage in a collaborative inquiry examining meanings behind how we vogue the veil. Through a series of interviews, focus groups and journal entries accompanied by personal photographs (photovoice), the women and I co-construct narratives around their identity as women who veil in ways that contest dominant discourse. Together we explore the impact of constructs such as beauty, femininity and sexuality on our identities as Muslim women who veil in Canada. Co-constructing participant case studies permits readers “access to the world from the view-point of individuals who have not traditionally held control over the means of imaging the world” (Berg, 2007, p. 233), at many times surprising and contradicting what is ‘known’ about the veiled Muslim woman. The findings reveal themes that deeply impact how the women choose to veil. These themes include the strategies the women use to employ their veils as a means of agency and how, within and through different pedagogical spaces, the women’s performances and performativity of the veil shifts. The women in the study demonstrate that by ‘voguing the veil’, they are in fact attempting to transform the meaning of the veil as a marker of Canadian Identity. Using the voices, photos and narratives of the four women I argue that through ‘voguing the veil’ these young Muslim women are actively entering into and creating spaces so to be seen as an integral part of Canadian society and as such can be recognized as an emerging subculture.

Thesis advisor: Jonathan Laurence / Religious symbols in France are routinely viewed as threats to the laïcité and vivre ensemble that characterize the ideal French Republic. However, unlike displays of religious identification such as necklaces bearing small crosses or stars of David, the presence of Muslim headcoverings in the public sphere has prompted significantly harsher criticism and increasingly restrictive measures within France. Some of the voile’s critics argue that such headcoverings are not only more visible, but are also indicative of a more brazen defiance of traditional republican ideals. While the perceived threat of religious symbols is far from a recent development in France, the particularly fierce reaction to the voile is indicative of a greater trend: the increasingly assertive interpretation and application of laïcité with respect to headscarves. The object of this study is to understand why French laïcité is moving in this increasingly authoritarian direction as well as to understand why a full ban of the “burqa” is being considered in France at this particular moment in time. The earlier affaires du foulard (headscarf affairs) offer good background context for the traditional applications of this principle towards the Muslim veil, and comparing the current dispute with the 2003-2004 affair offers a number of points of assessment that are useful for understanding the ways in which the interpretation and application of laïcité have shifted. The 2006-2007 veil affair in the United Kingdom also provides excellent analytical contrast that will help to situate the French affairs in a larger European context, serving as an analytical foil in many ways to the French understanding of secularism. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Political Science Honors Program. / Discipline: College Honors Program. / Discipline: Political Science.

No description available.