European Muslim Youth and Gender (in)Equality Discourse: Towards a More Critical Academic Inquiry
In Europe, gender equality can be framed as a secular value, juxtaposed against affiliation with and practice of Islam. Academic and public debate has either given special attention to the spread of religious fundamentalism in Europe, or to the way Muslim women dress, citing how both purportedly jeo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/4/133 |
| _version_ | 1797538276028973056 |
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| author | Colleen Boland |
| author_facet | Colleen Boland |
| author_sort | Colleen Boland |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Europe, gender equality can be framed as a secular value, juxtaposed against affiliation with and practice of Islam. Academic and public debate has either given special attention to the spread of religious fundamentalism in Europe, or to the way Muslim women dress, citing how both purportedly jeopardize gender equality. This is despite findings that a link between gender equality and religiosity or practice of Islam is neither inherent nor circumscribed. Moreover, it is possible to demonstrate that such discourse rests on implicitly racialized conceptualizations of the Muslim “other”. Meanwhile, Muslim youth in particular are benchmarked against these imagined standards of gender equality, as compared with non-Muslim peers. This work examines ways in which normative secular frameworks and discourses, taking ownership of gender equality narratives, have shaped Europe’s academic inquiry regarding Muslim youth. It notes what is absent in this inquiry, including intersections of race and class, which remain divorced from the limited conversation on gender and religious difference. A reflexive, intersectional approach to this discussion, conscious of the importance of embedded racial or structural inequality and what is absent in current inquiry, better serves in understanding and navigating power relations that ultimately contribute to multiple exclusion of these youth. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:28:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a7fedf56745c4acc91d48f2d6d458b31 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:28:14Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-a7fedf56745c4acc91d48f2d6d458b312023-11-21T14:52:22ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602021-04-0110413310.3390/socsci10040133European Muslim Youth and Gender (in)Equality Discourse: Towards a More Critical Academic InquiryColleen Boland0Public Law, Faculty of Law, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, SpainIn Europe, gender equality can be framed as a secular value, juxtaposed against affiliation with and practice of Islam. Academic and public debate has either given special attention to the spread of religious fundamentalism in Europe, or to the way Muslim women dress, citing how both purportedly jeopardize gender equality. This is despite findings that a link between gender equality and religiosity or practice of Islam is neither inherent nor circumscribed. Moreover, it is possible to demonstrate that such discourse rests on implicitly racialized conceptualizations of the Muslim “other”. Meanwhile, Muslim youth in particular are benchmarked against these imagined standards of gender equality, as compared with non-Muslim peers. This work examines ways in which normative secular frameworks and discourses, taking ownership of gender equality narratives, have shaped Europe’s academic inquiry regarding Muslim youth. It notes what is absent in this inquiry, including intersections of race and class, which remain divorced from the limited conversation on gender and religious difference. A reflexive, intersectional approach to this discussion, conscious of the importance of embedded racial or structural inequality and what is absent in current inquiry, better serves in understanding and navigating power relations that ultimately contribute to multiple exclusion of these youth.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/4/133European Muslimsinequalitiesgenderyouth of migrant originknowledge production |
| spellingShingle | Colleen Boland European Muslim Youth and Gender (in)Equality Discourse: Towards a More Critical Academic Inquiry Social Sciences European Muslims inequalities gender youth of migrant origin knowledge production |
| title | European Muslim Youth and Gender (in)Equality Discourse: Towards a More Critical Academic Inquiry |
| title_full | European Muslim Youth and Gender (in)Equality Discourse: Towards a More Critical Academic Inquiry |
| title_fullStr | European Muslim Youth and Gender (in)Equality Discourse: Towards a More Critical Academic Inquiry |
| title_full_unstemmed | European Muslim Youth and Gender (in)Equality Discourse: Towards a More Critical Academic Inquiry |
| title_short | European Muslim Youth and Gender (in)Equality Discourse: Towards a More Critical Academic Inquiry |
| title_sort | european muslim youth and gender in equality discourse towards a more critical academic inquiry |
| topic | European Muslims inequalities gender youth of migrant origin knowledge production |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/4/133 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT colleenboland europeanmuslimyouthandgenderinequalitydiscoursetowardsamorecriticalacademicinquiry |