The Political Meaning of the Hijab Style of Women Candidates

For several decades, an increasing number of Indonesian women have worn the Islamic headscarf, or hijab. This phenomenon has been subject considerable scholarly analysis, with most analysts seeing it as one sign growing Islamisation in country. Relatively few studies, however, considered extraordinary variation hijab styles analysed how they are used electoral politics. Through a close study candidates running for legislative seats Cilacap district Indonesia’s 2019 election, this article analyses political meaning style chosen by part their imaging. In particular, distinguishes between ideological and instrumental uses hijab, noting that while some wore particular order to convey broad vision about future Indonesia, others were far more use, tailoring increase chances.