Young Muslim women in the United States: identities at the intersection of group membership and multiple individualities

Abstract

There is an apparent contradiction between theories such as social identity and cultural studies that approach identity from a group standpoint, and feminist theory that is centered on women's individuality. Nevertheless, as young Muslim women in the United States face the challenge of integration, they negotiate their identity at the intersection of adjustment to western secular values, allegiance to their community, and desire to follow their own individual path. In doing so, they develop coexisting identities that allow them to articulate sense of belonging and individual choices within a fluid process that may evolve over time: rather than being antagonistic, group perspective and feminist focus complement each other in their description of young Muslim women's identity negotiation process.