Overview

Muslims in Britain and cosmopolitan cities throughout the West are increasingly choosing to express their identity and faith through dress, whether by wearing colourful headscarves, austere black garments or creative new forms of Islamic fashion. Why is dress such an important issue for Muslims? Why is it such a major topic of media interest and international concern? This timely and important book cuts through media stereotypes of Muslim appearances, providing intimate insights into what clothes mean to the people who design and wear them. It examines how different ideas of fashion, politics, faith, freedom, beauty, modesty and cultural diversity are articulated by young British Muslims as they seek out clothes which best express their identities, perspectives and concerns. It also explores the wider social and political effects of their clothing choices on the development of transnational cultural formations and multicultural urban spaces. Based on contemporary ethnographic research, the book is an essential read for students and scholars of religion, sociology, cultural studies, anthropology and fashion as well as anyone interested in cultural diversity and the changing face of cosmopolitan cities throughout the world.

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9781845204327

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Reviews

Fluid style, beautiful pictures, and honest stories. Muslimah Media Watch Beautifully written and compelling, Emma Tarlo's new book finds a way to be fair-minded in the political minefield that surrounds the dress of visibly Muslim women in the UK. Animated by the nuanced detail of sartorial biographies and documenting changes in hijab fashion, Visibly Muslim provides a sophisticated examination of the dramatic increase in covered dressing and the reasons why it continues to matter so much to its practitioners and observers. This makes an essential read. Reina Lewis, Professor of Cultural Studies, London College of Fashion. Author of 'Rethinking Orientalism: Women, Travel and the Ottoman Harem'. Tarlo's finely written analysis of Muslim women's dress choices in Britain is sensitive, thoughtful and measured -- a refreshing counterpoint to the two dimensial media coverage of the subject. She examines such choices from multiple angles: personal, aesthetic, social, religious and political, while making sure that we understand the dynamism inherent in decisions about dress. Niloofar Haeri, Professor of Anthropology, John Hopkins University. Author of 'Sacred Language: Ordinary People, Dilemmas of Culture and Politics in Egypt' I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in Muslim women's expression of faith in the UK. Hijab Style Blog Tarlo's work shows the changing contemporary styles of first-generation British Islamic fashion design companies and opens dialogue for mutual understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims interested in clothing subleties. Highly Recommended. Chico, Choice Magazine This is an outstanding contribution to the debates about Muslim dress and identity in the contemporary world. Tarlo has produced a tour-de-force that should help reframe the debates about Muslim dress and Muslims in the West more generally. Anshuman Mondal This beautifully written and illustrated book by Emma Tarlo is remarkable for showing just how much of profound significance has been left out of sight in earlier scholarly discussions - paradoxically, perhaps given that veiling as a social phenomenon concerns visibility, the social and personal significance attached to declaring oneself sartorially a Muslim in public. Pnina Werbner, Sociological Review

Fluid style, beautiful pictures, and honest stories. Muslimah Media Watch Beautifully written and compelling, Emma Tarlo's new book finds a way to be fair-minded in the political minefield that surrounds the dress of visibly Muslim women in the UK. Animated by the nuanced detail of sartorial biographies and documenting changes in hijab fashion, Visibly Muslim provides a sophisticated examination of the dramatic increase in covered dressing and the reasons why it continues to matter so much to its practitioners and observers. This makes an essential read. Reina Lewis, Professor of Cultural Studies, London College of Fashion. Author of 'Rethinking Orientalism: Women, Travel and the Ottoman Harem'. Tarlo's finely written analysis of Muslim women's dress choices in Britain is sensitive, thoughtful and measured -- a refreshing counterpoint to the two dimensial media coverage of the subject. She examines such choices from multiple angles: personal, aesthetic, social, religious and political, while making sure that we understand the dynamism inherent in decisions about dress. Niloofar Haeri, Professor of Anthropology, John Hopkins University. Author of 'Sacred Language: Ordinary People, Dilemmas of Culture and Politics in Egypt' I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in Muslim women's expression of faith in the UK. Hijab Style Blog

Author Information

Emma Tarlo is Professor in Anthropology, Goldsmiths, University of London.

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