Routledge International Handbook to Veils and Veiling

Veils and veiling are contentious issues in social and political life, with the veil being a powerful and unsettling symbol and a rallying-point for discourse and rhetoric concerning women, Islam, and the nature of politics. This book brings together research strands from fashion, gender studies, religious studies, politics, and sociology to form the most comprehensive book ever conceived on this topic.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 316 pages
Publication date: 08 January 2019
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Veils and veiling are contentious issues in social and political life, sparking debates worldwide. The veil is intricately intertwined with a complex web of relations encompassing politics, religion, and gender, as well as conflicts over power, legitimacy, belief, freedom, agency, and emancipation. In recent years, the veil has emerged as a powerful and unsettling symbol, serving as a focal point for discourse and rhetoric concerning women, Islam, and the nature of politics.

Early studies on the gender, doctrine, and politics of veiling emerged in the 1970s, coinciding with the Islamic revival and re-veiling trends that were notably expressed by the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979. In the 1990s, research shifted its focus to the development of an Islamic culture industry and the increasing consumption of Islamic garments and dress styles across the Islamic world. Over the past decade, academics have delved into the study of Islamic fashion and marketing, the political role of the headscarf, the veiling of other religious groups such as Jews and Christians, and secular forms of modest dress. This book brings together these diverse research strands to create the most comprehensive work ever conceived on this topic.

As such, this handbook will appeal to scholars and students of fashion, gender studies, religious studies, politics, and sociology.

Weight: 590g
Dimension: 247 x 175 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367193010