Escolar Documentos
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encounters
Religious Conviction,
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Aesthetic Style, and
Creative
Whereas those in favor of wearing covered dress tend to refrain from 1 This article is based on fieldwork conducted within the framework of the NORFACE
criticizing others too harshly and argue that also less successful attempts [New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Cooperation]-funded international
at covering may be seen as a step in the right direction, there is a concern research project “The emergence of Islamic fashion as a social force in Europe.” I thank
about some of the more “extreme” aesthetic choices, such as combinations the researchers involved in this project for sharing their ideas: Annika Rabo, Leila Karin
of flashy headscarves with increasingly tight T-shirts and jeans, skirts that Ősterlind, and Degla Salim in Stockholm, Connie Carøe Christiansen in Copenhagen,
only just cover the knees, and sleeves that are far from full length. To some, Sigrid Nökel in Germany, Arzu Űnal in the Netherlands, and especially Emma Tarlo in
the dissonances between the headscarf as a marker of Islamic modesty and London, without whom this project would not have materialized (see also Tarlo 2009
the lack of modesty that some of these styles display are painful to bear. forthcoming).
The turn to more fashionable styles of Islamic dress has also affected the 2 A Google search for “Islamic fashion” produced 71,300 hits on April 7, 2009. This article
non-Muslim majority public, but in a different way. It is precisely the almost focuses on the modern fashion system and hence does not deal with the far longer history
celebratory tone about highly fashionable styles of Islamic dress that turns of interactions in dress design between Europe and the Middle East. Moreover, the term
women who opt not to wear those styles into a negatively marked category. Islamic is used rather than Muslim not only because it is an emic term, but also to underline
Women wearing more fully covering dress have started complaining that they a reflexive rather than habitual approach to religion.
have to face employers who argue that they do not object if a woman wears 3 There is an increasing body of writing on fashion in other parts of the world. See, for
a headscarf, but that they object to particular styles of wearing headscarves instance, The Global Fashion series published by Berg Publishers. An interesting example is
(and styles of dress) that are too covering and too dark, that are insufficiently Niessen et al. (2003).
“up-to-date” and not “fashionable” enough. It is true that the presence of 4 The term “young” is used in this article to refer to those women of immigrant
women wearing fashionable styles of Islamic dress is a strong counterpoint background who have been born or who have grown up in the Netherlands. This does
to the ways in which they are imagined in the public debate about Islam not mean that the styles of dress worn by their mothers have remained the same. On
Annelies Moors
encounters
the contrary, influenced by their daughters’ sartorial practices, mothers have also often and religious identities. New York: Routledge.
started adopting more fashionable dressing styles.
5 Pseudonyms have been used to protect the privacy of the women concerned.
Certeau, Michel de. 1984. The practice of everyday life. Berkeley: University
6 Shalwar qamiz refers to a set consisting of a long shirt or tunic and a pair of loose trousers.
of California Press.
7 The narratives in this section are constructed on the basis of conversations that focused
on changes in dress styles and the ways in which these did (or did not) relate to religion. Deeb, Lara. 2006. An enchanted modern: Gender and public piety in Shi’i
They are heavily edited, as they are not presented for the sake of a narrative analysis in
Lebanon. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
itself, but rather to provide insights into the nature of such trends.
8 In Turkey, chador refers to a one- or two-piece all-enveloping outer garment or cloak,
El-Guindi, Fadwa. 1981. Veiling infitah with Muslim ethic: Egypt’s
198 usually black or dark blue in color. 199
contemporary Islamic movement. Social Problems 28, 4:465–85.
9 Theo van Gogh was an actor, newspaper columnist, and film producer (together with
Ayaan Hirshi Ali he produced a highly controversial film on women and Islam called
Submission). He was murdered on November 2, 2004 by a Dutch-Moroccan man, who
———. 1999. Veil: Modesty, privacy and resistance. London: Berg
claimed to have done so for religious reasons. Publishers.
10 The term hijab refers to covered dress (in this article, these terms are used
interchangeably), including a head covering. Fuente, Eduardo de la. 2000. Sociology and aesthetics, European Journal of
11 In the Dutch context, it has been argued that the notion of authenticity that was at Social Theory 3, 2:235–47.
the heart of the counterculture of the 1960s has become normative. The slogan “being
yourself” can be found everywhere, in the worlds of religion and politics, as well as in the Flügel, J. C. 1930. The psychology of clothes. London: Hogarth Press.
world of commerce and advertising (Houtman 2008). Göle, Nilüfer. 1996. The forbidden modern: Civilization and veiling. Ann Arbor:
12 Some items cater to customers of particular ethnic backgrounds. Whereas Moroccan University of Michigan Press.
women can make do with rectangular shawls for the styles they like to wear, Turkish
women mostly look for large, square, satin-like headscarves. Frank, Thomas. 1998. The conquest of cool: Business culture, counterculture,
13 For instance, www.thehijabshop.com, www.welovehijab.com, and the blog of Muslim
and the rise of hip consumerism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Style Queen aka Islamic Fashion at caribmuslimah.wordpress.com (all accessed June 7, 2009).
14 This fits also very well with recent developments in marketing, with the trend toward
Hebdige, Dick. 1979. Subculture: The meaning of style. London: Routledge.
“co-creation,” which “works through the freedom of the consumer subject with the
objective of encouraging and capturing the know-how of this creative common.” (Zwick et Houtman, Dick. 2008. Op jacht naar de echte werkelijkheid: Dromen over
al. 2008: 184).
authenticiteit in een wereld zonder fundamenten. Amsterdam: Amsterdam
15 See, for instance, Amir-Moazami (2005), Jouili and Amir-Moazami (2006), and Scott
University Press, Pallas Publications.
(2007).
16 Mitchell (2002) points to the possible lack of suturing between showing and telling.
Jirousek, Charlotte. 2000. The transition to mass fashion system dress in the
later Ottoman Empire. In Consumption studies and the history of the Ottoman
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