The veil , the hijab , the burqa . Terms that have a "visual" connotation in the collective imagination, but which lack multidimensional perspectives. In this regard, sociology approaches the issue from two perspectives: one historical-analytical, one feminist.
The veil in history
The term “veil” is usually associated with the item of clothing, called hijab, used by women in Islamic religion. Two elements, however, give it a broad-spectrum meaning: the historical element and the cultural element. The veil has its roots in the 12th century BC with the Assyrians: at the time, it was worn by noble women, but forbidden to prostitutes and poorer women, due to its social, rather than religious, nature. Other examples can be found in the Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman worlds, but also in the Christian, as well as Muslim, world. Just think of the veil still worn by Catholic nuns; or even the typical headdresses of Italian, Southern, and island traditionalism. Sardinia and Sicilia It is not uncommon to encounter women wearing headdresses tied under their chins, often black or decorated with patterns typical of the indigenous culture. Referring to the cultural meaning of the veil, we find the physical separation between what William Graham Sumner calls “in-group” and “out-group”. Thein group is the reference group of the woman/person who wears the veil, while theoutgroup It is the group that does not wear it: the man/alter, and the veil, in this case, is the dividing line between the two gender spaces. Then, the physical separation is accompanied by a separation, so to speak, cognitive: the veil is the symbol of a specific culture that divides roles between those who wear it and those who do not; in this sense, it is no longer a garment, but a habitus.
The social value of the veil
Returning to the discussion of the typically Islamic veil, we will focus on its instrumental value. First of all, the Arabic term " hijab " means " to make invisible, to hide from sight, to conceal, to cover, " applying this meaning to the Islamic practice of Muhammad: the woman is the figure destined to hide her appearance.
“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their shame and not to display their attractive parts too much, except what is apparent from the outside.”
(aya 31 of sura XXIV al-Nūr, “The Light”)
In reality there is no single interpretation as to why women, according to Mohammed, should wear the veil: some interpreters speak of modesty, others of a means of encountering the divine. However, focusing on the instrumental aspect of the veil as a way of subordinating women to male directives, the thesis of the historian Marco Cavina is relevant. According to the historian, in the Middle Ages, the submissive role of women was reinforced by a legal system that legitimized such submission and in support of this thesis he speaks of real cultural coordinates of lawfulness. The veil as instrument of subordination, therefore, becomes what the sociologist Angelo Pichierri would define as a “artifact“, that is, an object with a functional value (to hide) and a symbolic value that refers to the role that women play in the social context of reference.
When the veil wears feminism
In addition to the discriminatory value of the veil, it is interesting to note another, little-known and more "veiled" aspect of Muslim reality: the Islamic feminismWithin the Islamic community, some female figures have emerged who redeem a new interpretation of the Koran itself. The anthropologist Ruba Salih in her essays reports the liberating function of the veil which allows women to play public roles, hiding their bodies to redeem their intellectual side. Moroccan sociologist Fatema Mernissi, on the other hand, takes a more provocative approach to the Islamic veil. less oppressive than the Western world which, according to the sociologist, says precise canons of female beauty linked to a patriarchal society. We then find an intervention on the taboo subject par excellence: the sexualityEgyptian sexologist Heba Kotb reports that the Quran contains passages that describe female sexuality as a pleasure, not just a means of procreation, thus redeeming the right to individual pleasure. Another feminist aspect can be found in the figure of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner who focuses her battles on right to education in Pakistan, but who is heavily criticized for her choice to wear the veil, despite the social battles she has steadfastly fought. In short, the symbolism of the hijab is highly complex and perhaps not fully understood. There are many points of view, but what emerges from feminist minds is that many Muslim women have the will to redeem their social role, even at the risk of their lives. Over time, social, historical, and cultural transformations will bring about change, and to what extent women's relationship with the veil will change, we cannot yet know. As sociologists, we can only analyze it with theWeberian evaluative perspective, so as not to fall into the danger of an objective and, at times, misleading evaluation.
Valentina Boi
