Abstract
Drawing upon postcolonial and postcolonial feminist lenses, this study critically analyzes the discourses, evident in the popular press, that serve to construct identities associated with veil-wearing Muslim women. Through print and digital media articles from January 2009 to December 2011, we trace the discursive character of the veil-wearing Muslim woman through conversations before, during, and after Bill 94 was tabled by the Quebec government. Concerned not only with the Western construction of the “other,” we attempted to provide the space necessary to hear Muslim women. Considerable focus was placed on teasing out interviews with Muslim women or responses by Muslim women. Findings suggest that several contradictions exist in terms of Western constructions and how Muslim women in Canada construct their own identities. At the center of these contradictions lies the symbolism of the veil, representing oppression and submission to some and empowerment and resistance to others.
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