Relocating the veil: the everyday lives of young hijabi Britons under ideological culturalism

This article centres the testimonies of young hijabi Britons as social landscapes shift toward ideological culturalism. Exploring idea that culture is defining element life and individuals are bound to closed cultural categories, it sets out a context endemic racism, voices from across political spectrum marshal veil vilify Islam promote homogenization. The paper reports on qualitative study privileging 18 women, aged between 26. It advances “everyday culturalism”, standpoint shapes everyday relations reflect culturalist ideologies undermine plurality. Three themes illuminate women’s experiences being addressed in ideologically embedded ways: white scripted subject; harm, silencing, exclusion; resistance through re-narration. Ultimately, participants’ reflections reject organizing force for selfhood, instead, asserting identities multi-vocal, contextually contingent contradictory.