Overall Result: What I've Learned from Studying the Hijab

Why does an anthropologist conduct research? Invariably, an anthropologist’s thirst for knowledge leads them to seek answers to questions about other cultures. Through the methods of participant observation and cultural relativism, anthropologists come to understand the internal logic that drives the actions of members of cultures other than their own. Indeed, throughout this project I have employed both of those tactics to understand why Muslim women in the modern world continue to wear the hijab. I found that not only is it for religious reasons but for the maintenance of personal morals: the hijab promotes modesty, and reduces the objectification of women by promoting gender equality. I learned that asking a Muslim woman to take off her headscarf is just as much of a violation to her as is asking any American woman to take off her shirt. Many anthropologists also go through culture shock, a disorienting moment in which all of their familiar social cues are gone. While I did not experience anything so dramatic during this project, many of the things I learned about the hijab, and about Islam today, surprised me. In particular, one quote from Politics of the Veil truly exemplified for me my change in mindset that has come about solely because of this project. In the introduction, Scott writes, “[I]t is widely argued that veils stand for the oppression of women. So insists Margaret de Cuyper of Holland: ‘Women have lived for too long with clothes and standards decided for them by men; this [the removal of the veil] is a victory’” (4). To the left of this quote I wrote as a note to myself, “Would I have felt his way before interviewing Rasheeda? Did I?!” To me, this truly shows that I am no longer accepting at face value the Western teachings I have received, but rather am questioning them in true anthropological fashion. I maintain that there are certainly various points of contention about the Islam religion, but what religion is universally accepted? The hijab remains a controversial subject in discourses about religion in society, gender roles, and equality in certain communities. Although my opinion on it has certainly changed in its favor (if the woman freely chooses to wear it), there are some compelling arguments for its removal. However, I have decided that it is not my place to judge, or to tell other people how to dress themselves. The hijab worn by Muslim women has had a monumental effect upon not just participants of Islam but of all cultures of the world, and in my research I have ultimately come to realize the justification women have of wearing it today.