UC Irvine Agency Resistance and the Veil Discussion

Breaking down the Question:

• What do the concepts of agency and resistance mean? How have they been understood previously? How do practices of veiling by Muslim women provide new ways of understanding agency and resistance?
• What does veiling mean and entail, i.e. what are the different practices of veiling? Why do Muslim women wear hijabs, burqas, burkinis, etc.? Is it imposed on them or is it a matter of choice?
• What are the arguments against veiling? By whom? What is the rhetoric of “saving Muslim women?” Who frames the issue this way? Why is it problematic?
• Does veiling indicate a lack of agency? Why or why not?
• Does resistance to a political or religious authority require taking off the veil? Why or why not?
• What are the different feminist debates and positions on veiling, with regard to whether it is oppressive or agentive, and with regard to whether agency is about resistance?
• What are the political contexts in which the debates for and against veiling have come up? Why is it important to understand these political contexts and not just see veiling as a cultural and religious matter?
• Why are the colonial context and the concept of Orientalism relevant to understanding this question?
• Anything else that came up in lecture that is interesting to you and helps address the question of how practices of veiling by Muslim women provide new ways of understanding agency and resistance.

How to write this assignment:

® You can structure your paragraphs by answering the questions as delineated above, though you don’t have to follow this specific order.

® Please look at the genre example of an encyclopedia or textbook entry. Your assignment should be structured along the lines of this piece that was assigned for the first day of class (except for the number of pages, of course): https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology2ndedition/chapter/chapter-12-gender-sex-and-sexuality/

® Remember the genre. This is not an exam. Do not answer the questions in Q and A format, but rather, integrate them into the encyclopedia or textbook entry you are writing here. Remember your transitions between paragraphs.

® You can use the film and video we watched in class and issues that came up in them as illustrative examples, either as blurbs or as part of how you answer these questions. You can also draw upon other illustrative examples that came up during lecture or discussion, that help you address the question.

® While you are expected to follow the writing tips and strategies we have been going over, keep in mind that the purpose of this assignment is different from Assignment 1. This assignment is about the course material, your engagement with it, and your analysis drawing upon it. Unlike Assignment 1, it is not about you. You will analyze the course material and explain the different perspectives, but write it as an encyclopedia or textbook entry rather than your opinions.

® Roughly half of the paper should provide conceptual explanation (based on course reading plus lecture), and half should provide the illustrative examples. This doesn’t mean you divide your paper into two parts. These concepts are hard to explain without illustration. But it means roughly equal attention to the course reading and examples.

Sources:

• Both the prescribed academic texts: The articles by Saba Mahmood and Lila Abu-Lughod included on the syllabus.
• Both the assigned film and video: “They Call me Muslim” and France 24 debate on the Burkini Ban.
• Lectures: Oct 29 and 31.

® Summarize the authors’ main ideas by effective use of paraphrasing, and demonstrate your own understanding of the keywords.

® Draw illustrative contemporary examples from both around the meanings of agency and veiling to address the question.

Purpose of this assignment:

• Demonstrate that you have paid attention in class and understood the course material.
• Demonstrate your ability to explain theoretical concepts and debates through illustrative examples and to connect them to current events.
• Demonstrate your ability to address the question in the prescribed genre.(Encyclopedia/Textbook Entry).

Other Writing Strategies and Tips:

• Please continue to follow all of the Writing Tips and Strategies we have covered in class so far, from the assigned writing text “Writing in College” (Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4), the “Writing Tips” document posted on Canvas, and the Introduction and Conclusion writing tips.
• Implement the writing strategies emphasized in lecture and sections.
• Improve on the writing strategies you used for Assignment 1.