Abstract
Although the hijab has recently attracted much attention from social scientists, the discrimination experienced by hijabis has been insufficiently investigated. Data are difficult to obtain, partly because surveys usually do not have items on this practice and victims are difficult to reach. However, field experts, namely active agents in governmental racism-prevention institutions and in Muslim associations, can provide rich insights into processes of discrimination. Based on an analysis of semi-structured interviews, I answer the following question: how do governmental and non-governmental experts describe discrimination against hijabis in Switzerland? The results reveal that, according to the experts interviewed, the hijab is the most important marker leading to processes of discrimination; this discrimination takes a variety of forms and affects a wide range of life domains and profiles of hijabis; such discrimination leads to a segregation of the social space of hijabis; many women are unwilling to report discrimination to governmental services for different reasons.
Highlights
Introduction and Research QuestionsThe hijab1 is currently at the center of countless political and theological debates
This paper asks the following question: how do governmental and non-governmental experts describe and explain the discrimination experienced by hijabis in Switzerland, and how do they differ in their knowledge? this study seeks to (1) determine the importance and role that field experts discern in processes of discrimination of this
Drawing on the multitude of testimonies given by individuals who had experienced discrimination, both the governmental and the non-governmental experts discussed the of 16 importance of this garment and the role that it plays in processes of discrimination.7Analyzing the interviews reveals that the hijab is seen as the most important marker of Muslimness, which makes hijabis especially vulnerable to discrimination
Summary
Introduction and Research QuestionsThe hijab is currently at the center of countless political and theological debates. Social scientists have investigated the practice of wearing the hijab from two main perspectives: the individual meaning that Muslim women attach to the hijab, and what it symbolizes for the majority society. Data on the discrimination experienced by women who wear the hijab (hijabis) are difficult to obtain, as official surveys usually do not ask questions on this practice, and accessing victims of discrimination is often challenging for researchers One other way of obtaining such data is to investigate the knowledge that field experts have gained on the ground from activities aimed at addressing discrimination. Such field experts can be part either of state-funded services or of Muslim associations. In Switzerland, there are centers funded by the state to support victims of racism and to record the racist incidents that are reported to trained staff (governmental experts), and there are
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