Women, Veiling and Politics: The South Asian Conundrum

by Imtiaz Ahmed (Editor)

Never in the history of human civilization has the veil, hijab or purdah become so much of a contentious issue. At the root of the contention, however, it has always been politics. This volume mainly focuses on South Asia, where the veiling of women has been a part of its age-old civilization, indeed, more as a marker of civility and not always from the standpoint of masculinity. But then in recent times, the territoriality of societies in the name of 'modern state' and the power of both patriarchy and masculinity reinforcing it made the veiling of women, in one form or another, an exercise in patriarchy, masculinity or gender politics, often crisscrossing national, ethnic, racial and religious boundaries, with women as its main victims. This volume attempts to overcome our 'ignorance' in so far as the veil is concerned. Demystifying the politics of veiling can certainly contribute to emancipatory politics in South Asia and beyond.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction by Imtiaz Ahmed

Section I Afghanistan
Chapter 1 Behind the Veil: How Taliban Rules of Law Still Shroud Contemporary Afghanistan by Anastasia Telesetsky

Section II Bangladesh
Chapter 2 The Politics of Knowledge and the Veiling of the Veil by Amena Mohsin
Chapter 3 Muslim Bodies, Imperial Politics and Feminist Frames by Dina M Siddiqi

Section III India
Chapter 4 The Politics of Covering and Uncovering in India by Ambar Ahmad
Chapter 5 The Painted Veil and its Contours by Dipannita Datta
Chapter 6 Food, Faith and Body: ‘Veiling’ and ‘Unveiling’ in the Borderland of West Bengal by Sreeradha Datta and Nandini Bhattacharya Panda

Section IV Maldives
Chapter 7 Democracy, Veil and Security in the Maldives by Emma Fulu

Section V Nepal
Chapter 8 Women, Veil and Security in the Nepalese Perspective: The Mist of Stereotypes and Superstition by Shobhakar Budhathoki

Section VI Pakistan
Chapter 9 ‘Purday kay Peechay Kya Hai?’ The Shifting Contexts of the Politics of Veiling by Saba Gul Khattak
Chapter 10 Pukhtun Women, Veil and Security by Nasreen Ghufran

Section VI Sri Lanka
Chapter 11 Reforming Dress Practices Among the Sri Lankan Muslim Middle Class: A Ten-year Trajectory by Farzana Haniffa

300 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Zeba Aida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assalamualaikum! At first, I got to read this book in our college library. The book's title actually made me fascinated to go with it. Though I got less time to read first few pages, I got into it. I chased a lot to find the pdf and tried to purchase one. The words were catchy enough. I do prefer reading this sort of books. Though, I'm still learning, I try to write articles related to the Asian cultures which have been badly followed as well as somehow badly impacting our social culture in various ways. On the other hand, we along with our culture is lagging behind just for some Superstitions. But, I must say that Imtiaz Ahmed sir has clarified one of the major facts clearly.

-THANK YOU