“Should I Wear a Headscarf to be a Good Muslim Woman?”: Situated Meanings of the Hijab Among Muslim College Women in America

Abstract

This paper aims to understand the multiple meanings ascribed to the hijab as a “situated, embodied practice” understood with a “translocational lens.” Using data from thirty‐four Muslim women college students in the United States, we argue there are multiple meanings ascribed to the “headscarf.” Muslim college women described the veil with discourses surrounding the hijab being a religious requirement, a symbol of identity, and representative of diverse feminist positions. These negotiations were motivated and informed by their various translocational positions that highlight the role of structured inequities surrounding nationality, ethnicity, and race shaping their understandings and choice to veil or not. Thus, a situated, embodied and intersectional lens of the hijab provides nuance and a deeper understanding to the meanings and practices associated with the hijab for Muslim college women.