The Veil in Islamic Societies: An Historical and Social Overview
8:00 pm
Sutherland Hall Lounge
Audience: Open to all Pitt Students
Cost: Free
Sponsored by: Global Studies Program, International Studies Living Learning Community
Shane Minkin, PhD candidate in the joint History and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies program at New York University, will discuss how the veiling of Muslim women has become a political issue of late. The French government banned the veil (along with other conspicuously religious accessories) from all public schools in 2004, sparking a series of protests. As recently as December 2008, a judge in a Georgia court held a Muslim woman in contempt for refusing to remove her veil. What, then, is the meaning of the veil? How did the tradition evolve? What are its links to the colonial Muslim world, and what might it mean to veil? This talk will provide an overview of veiling from pre-Islamic times through today. We will discuss the role of the veil in colonialism and explore the different types of veils throughout the Muslim world. Finally, we will link the discourse surrounding the veil to broader discourses surrounding questions of women and gender and the colonial and post-!
colonial worlds.
For more information, contact Veronica Dristas - 412-624-2918 dristas@pitt.edu
