Feminism in Multicultural Societies: An analysis of Dutch Multicultural and Postsecular Developments and their Implications for Feminist Debates

It was long assumed that both multiculturalism and feminism are connected to progressive movements and hence have comparable and compatible goals. However, both in academia and in popular media the critique on multiculturalism has grown and is often accompanied with arguments related to gender equality and/or feminism. According to political scientist Susan Moller Okin for example there are fundamental conflicts between our commitment to gender equality and the desire to respect the customs of minority cultures or religions. If we agree that women should not be disadvantaged because of their sex, she argues, we should not accept group rights that permit oppressive practices. Okin’s claims led to a complex and highly important debate both in academia and in public debates. The main aim of this thesis is to explore in depth the different discourses about multiculturalism and feminism and develop a more inclusive and nuanced redefinition of the relationship between multiculturalism and feminism. The focus of the analysis will be on the Netherlands, where the debate has been intense and paradigmatic of similar debates in most countries. The first part of the thesis explores the literature on multiculturalism and feminism, and discusses the importance of for instance intersectionality, the politics of location and situated knowledges for a better understanding of the debates. The second part of the thesis is dedicated to fieldwork. A preliminary media analysis is undertaken to analyse the main aspects of the public debate as they appear in the feminist magazine Opzij. On the basis of this analysis, a series of focus groups with women belonging to organisations that are considered stakeholders in the debate (e.g. feminist, religious, cultural or sub-cultural) is organised. The thesis provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between the concepts of multiculturalism and feminism. It argues that gender equality is often misused in islamophobic and anti-migration discussions, which also harms the position of minority women. Furthermore, it demonstrates that a more nuanced and inclusive interpretation of multiculturalism and feminism acknowledges the multiple layers of this debate, starts from intersectionality and includes critical accounts of secularism and religion, colonial history and subjectivity

Feminism in multicultural societies : an analysis of Dutch multicultural and postsecular developments and their implications for feminist debates

It was long assumed that both multiculturalism and feminism are connected to progressive movements and hence have comparable and compatible goals. However, both in academia and in popular media the critique on multiculturalism has grown and is often accompanied with arguments related to gender equality and/or feminism. According to political scientist Susan Moller Okin for example there are fundamental conflicts between our commitment to gender equality and the desire to respect the customs of minority cultures or religions. If we agree that women should not be disadvantaged because of their sex, she argues, we should not accept group rights that permit oppressive practices. Okin’s claims led to a complex and highly important debate both in academia and in public debates. The main aim of this thesis is to explore in depth the different discourses about multiculturalism and feminism and develop a more inclusive and nuanced redefinition of the relationship between multiculturalism and feminism. The focus of the analysis will be on the Netherlands, where the debate has been intense and paradigmatic of similar debates in most countries. The first part of the thesis explores the literature on multiculturalism and feminism, and discusses the importance of for instance intersectionality, the politics of location and situated knowledges for a better understanding of the debates. The second part of the thesis is dedicated to fieldwork. A preliminary media analysis is undertaken to analyse the main aspects of the public debate as they appear in the feminist magazine Opzij. On the basis of this analysis, a series of focus groups with women belonging to organisations that are considered stakeholders in the debate (e.g. feminist, religious, cultural or sub-cultural) is organised. The thesis provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between the concepts of multiculturalism and feminism. It argues that gender equality is often misused in islamophobic and anti-migration discussions, which also harms the position of minority women. Furthermore, it demonstrates that a more nuanced and inclusive interpretation of multiculturalism and feminism acknowledges the multiple layers of this debate, starts from intersectionality and includes critical accounts of secularism and religion, colonial history and subjectivity.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Digital multiculturalism in the Netherlands: religious, ethnic and gender positioning by Moroccan-Dutch youth

This article focuses on digital practices of Moroccan-Dutch adolescents in the Netherlands. The digital sphere is still rather understudied in the Netherlands. However, it offers a unique, entry to intersecting issues of religiosity, ethnicity and gender as well as to their implications for thinking about multiculturalism from new vantage points. What do digital practices such as online discussion board participation tell us about identity and multiculturalism? The three forms of position acquisition under discussion (gender, religion and ethnic positioning) show that neither religion, ethnicity, nor gender cease to exist in the digital realm but are constantly negotiated, reimagined and relocated. Drawing from the work of Modood, Gilroy and other critics of gender, media, multiculturalism and postcoloniality, we argue that online activities of the Moroccan-Dutch youth not only offer an important critique of mainstream media debates on multiculturalism, but also create space for alternative bottom-up interpretations of everyday practices of multiculturalism in the Netherlands

Becoming Muslim: Converting Old and New Practices through Turning Away

This article focuses on the relationship between religion/secularism and national identity through the experiences of converts to Islam. These men and women occupy a controversial position in society: they are often born and raised in Europe and have chosen for a religion that is generally associated with ‘foreignness’. In this context, converts are often represented in terms of loss, especially in relation to gender relations. In other words, their conversion to Islam is often read as a turning away from modernity or Western lifestyles, rather than a conscious choice for something new, such as spiritual fulfilment. Coulthard and Simpson however, interpret ‘turning away’ in relation to the politics of recognition and decolonization. This understanding makes it possible to read conversion as an active choice for self-determination. Turning away then becomes a refusal to engage in the hegemonic recognition game of being situated and managed and to be politically consumed by the overarching system. The article will investigate how Dutch converts to Islam negotiate the different aspects of their identities and the boundaries connected to those through a politics of refusal. I will argue that by following Coulthard and Simpson, we can understand converts ‘turning away’– in an alternative, less negative way. They ‘turn away’, as Fanon argues, to find freedom on their own terms and in accordance with their own values

Postcolonial Transitions in Europe: Contexts, Practices and Politics

Is the notion of postcolonial Europe an oxymoron? How do colonial pasts inform the emergence of new subjectivities and political frontiers in contemporary Europe? Postcolonial Transitions in Europe explores these questions from different theoretical, geopolitical and media perspectives. Drawing from the interdisciplinary tools of postcolonial critique, this book contests the idea that Europe developed within clear-cut geographical boundaries. It examines how experiences of colonialism and imperialism continue to be constitutive of the European space and of the very idea of Europe. By approaching Europe as a complex political space, the chapters investigate topical concerns around its politics of inclusion and exclusion towards migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, as well as its take on internal conflicts, transitions and cosmopolitan imaginaries