Publisher Description

One of the most remarkable aspects pertaining to the legal bans and societal debates on the face veil in Europe is that they rely on assumptions which lack any factual basis. To rectify this, Eva Brems researched the experiences of women who wear a face veil in Belgium and brought her research results together with those of colleagues who did the same in four other European countries. Their findings, which are outlined in this volume, move the current discussion on face veil bans forward by providing a much-needed insider perspective. In addition, a number of legal and social science scholars comment on the empirical findings and on the face veil issue more generally.

Author Biography

Eva Brems is a Professor of Human Rights Law at the Human Rights Centre, Ghent University, Belgium, where her research covers most areas of human rights law with a specific interest in minority issues and women's rights.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the volume Eva Brems; Part I. Wearing the Face Veil in Europe: 2. Face veiling in The Netherlands: public debates and women's narratives Annelies Moors; 3. Niqabis in Denmark: when politicians ask for a qualitative and quantitative profiling of a very small and elusive sub-culture Kate Østergaard, Margit Warburg and Birgitte Schepelern Johansen; 4. The Belgian 'Burqa ban' confronted with insider realities Eva Brems, Yaiza Janssens, Kim Lecoyer, Saïla Ouald Chaib, Victoria Vandersteen and Jogchum Vrielink; 5. France vs England Naima Bouteldja; Part II. Debating the Face Veil: 6. Insider perspectives and the human rights debate on face veil bans Emmanuelle Bribosia and Isabelle Rorive; 7. Symptomatic symbolism: banning the face veil 'as a symbol' Jogchum Vrielink; 8. Bas les masques! Unveiling Muslim women on behalf of the protection of public order: reflections on the legal controversies around a novel definition of 'public order' used to ban full-face covering in France Rim-Sarah Alouane; 9. Islamic veil bans: the gender equality justification and empirical evidence Erica Howard; 10. Women's oppression and face veil bans: a feminist assessment Dolores Morondo Taramundi; 11. The return of a persecuting society? Criminalising facial veils in Europe Maleiha Malik; 12. Asserting state sovereignty: the face veil ban in Belgium Nadia Fadil; 13. The performativity of face veil controversies across Europe Schirin Amir-Moazami; 14. Proscribing unveiling - law a chimera and an instrument in the political agenda Susan S. M. Edwards.

Review

"Brems' edited work is a timely edition to the current landscape of literature focused on understanding the recent nationwide bans of face veils in both France (2010) and Belgium (2011) … this book draws on an academically diverse group of scholars to contribute a nuanced analysis on the current debate surrounding face veil wearers in Europe and I think it would be suitable for a university class as well as anyone interested in expanding their perspective on the current issue of legal bans on the face veil in Europe today."Lauren McKown, Nordic Journal of Migration Research

Promotional

This book studies the experiences of face veil wearers in Europe and examines the ramifications of the empirical findings for legislative agendas.

Review Quote

"Brems' edited work is a timely edition to the current landscape of literature focused on understanding the recent nationwide bans of face veils in both France (2010) and Belgium (2011) ... this book draws on an academically diverse group of scholars to contribute a nuanced analysis on the current debate surrounding face veil wearers in Europe and I think it would be suitable for a university class as well as anyone interested in expanding their perspective on the current issue of legal bans on the face veil in Europe today." Lauren McKown, Nordic Journal of Migration Research

Promotional "Headline"

This book studies the experiences of face veil wearers in Europe and examines the ramifications of the empirical findings for legislative agendas.

Description for Bookstore

This groundbreaking work outlines the findings of the first empirical studies of the experiences of women who wear the Islamic face veil across Europe. Expert scholars subsequently engage with the findings and explore their impact on the wider debate surrounding the veil and efforts to ban it.

Description for Library

This groundbreaking work outlines the findings of the first empirical studies of the experiences of women who wear the Islamic face veil across Europe. Expert scholars subsequently engage with the findings and explore their impact on the wider debate surrounding the veil and efforts to ban it.

Details