This original new work is the fascinating result of sociologist and
documentary filmmaker Agnès De Féo’s ten-year exploration of
the phenomenon of niqab wearing. It is at once a groundbreaking
study and a series of compelling first-person accounts from French
and Francophone women who wear or have worn the niqab in France’s
Salafi communities. With the backdrop of the French government’s
2010 ban on full facial veiling in public spaces, which itself has
shaped the phenomenon, De Féo draws on her subjects’ own words
to show their agency, working against the clichés that often
underlie public views of the niqab—that it is purely the result
of masculine pressure, for example, or extreme religiosity or
nationalism, or the submissive desire to disappear. Instead, she
shows, the niqab is multivalent: women wear it for reasons that
range from religious piety to the desire to rebel against
mainstream society, family, or the rule of law. The reasons are
complex, overdetermined, contradictory, or even inconsistent, but
they are the women’s own. Despite being worn only by a small
minority of Muslim women, the Islamic garment has nonetheless been
a major source of intense political, religious, and cultural debate
in France. Searching to understand, rather than speculate, De Féo
chose to approach the people who wear the niqab, and to make them,
rather the veil itself, the subject of her research. Her
unprecedented study, based on more than 200 interviews, reveals the
many factors—social, political, geopolitical, and
psychological—underpinning a personal choice that is not always
as religious as it seems. The book ends with sixteen captivating
interviews giving voice to stories rarely heard. With finesse and
discernment, the author debunks the myths surrounding the wearing
of the niqab, and sheds light on a practice subject to
misunderstanding and prejudice, offering the reader unique insight.
Challenging our preconceived notions and stereotypes about women
who wear any form of Islamic apparel, but particularly the niqab,
The Niqab in France introduces a group of women each with her own
life story, her own share of personal struggles, aspirations, and
desires, and her own claim to a certain place in society. This work
received support for excellence in publication and translation from
Albertine Translation, a program created by Villa Albertine.
General
Imprint: |
Fordham University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
2024 |
Authors: |
Agnès de Féo
|
Translators: |
Lindsay Turner
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
208 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-5315-0464-9 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-5315-0464-7 |
Barcode: |
9781531504649 |
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