Diasporic virginities: Social representations of virginity and identity formation amongst British Arab Muslim women

Abstract

This study compares how practising and non-practising British Arab Muslim women position themselves in relation to representations of virginity. Overall, in this qualitative study, we found that representations of culture and religion influenced social practices and social beliefs in different ways:non-practising Muslim women felt bound by culture to remain virgins, while practising Muslim women saw it as a religious obligation but were still governed by culture regarding the consequences of engaging in premarital sex. Interestingly, some practising Muslim participants used Mut'a (a form of temporary 'marriage') to justify premarital sex. This however, did not diminish the importance of virginity in their understanding and identification as Arab women. In fact, this study found that virginity, for the British Arabs interviewed, embodied a sense of 'Arabness' in British society. Positioning themselves as virgins went beyond simply honour; it was a significant cultural symbol that secured their sense of cultural identity. In fact this cultural identity was often so powerful that it overrode their Islamic identities, prescribing particular cultural norms even if religion was seen as more 'forgiving'. As we discuss in the conclusion, this has important implications for the study of social representations and identities, particularly in relation to the complex relationship between religious and cultural identities.

“We are Arabs:” The Embodiment of Virginity Through Arab and Arab American Women’s Lived Experiences

“…However, none of the participants referred to virginity as a stigma; on the other hand, the women in this study perceived virginity loss as a possible reason of stigma or cause of shame. Interpreting virginity as an identity has also been reported by other scholars in the Arab world, where women had to negotiate different identities by handling intergenerational relations and Orientalists discourses (Amer et al 2015; Buitelaar 2002; Skandrani et al 2010). Amer and colleagues discussed how for British Arab women, being a virgin moved beyond the concept of honor to reflect a cultural symbol of “Arabness.” Similarly, for participants in this study, virginity reflected who they are, and consequently was enacted differently.…”

“…Virginity, heteronormative sexual expression and gender performance are important aspects of the daily lives of Arab women and are important in understanding their identification as Arab women (Amer et al 2015; Buitelaar 2002; El Feki 2013; El Saadawi 2007; Skandrani et al 2010); however, there is a gap in research that explores the meanings of virginity from the perspectives of Arab and Arab American women as the primary focus of the research. The purpose of this paper is to explore the meanings of virginity from the perspectives of Arab and Arab American women and what life experiences shape these meanings using a phenomenological approach.…”

Constructing and contesting threat: Representations of white British Muslims across British national and Muslim newspapers

“…This is perhaps not particularly an unexpected finding. The majority of British Muslims do not see being British and Muslim as mutually exclusive (Amer & Howarth, ; Dwyer, ; Hopkins, ; Modood, ). Rather, it is negative representations of Islam and Muslims prevalent within British mainstream media and society that have led Muslim communities in Britain to face scrutiny and pressure to prove their allegiance to the nation (Hopkins, ; Nandi & Platt, ).…”

“You don't belong anywhere, you're ‘in-between’”: Pious Muslim women's intersectional experiences and ideas about social change in contemporary Turkey

“…This dynamic relation between context and the meaning and performance of identity is supported by research examining Muslim women's negotiation of the veil and other gendered modesty norms (Amer, Howarth, & Sen, 2015;Hopkins & Greenwood, 2013). Muslim women in minority positions maintain their cultural and religious norms and practices, which provide distinctiveness from the majority (Amer et al, 2015;Wagner, Sen, Permanadeli, & Howarth, 2012). In their responses to the experience of stigma in Denmark and the UK, for example, Muslim women focused on the criticisms of their identities and reconstructed disputed aspects of their gender and religious identity through engagement with the dominant representations of social and personal life in Europe (Chapman, 2016).…”

“…This dynamic relation between context and the meaning and performance of identity is supported by research examining Muslim women's negotiation of the veil and other gendered modesty norms (Amer, Howarth, & Sen, 2015;Hopkins & Greenwood, 2013). Muslim women in minority positions maintain their cultural and religious norms and practices, which provide distinctiveness from the majority (Amer et al, 2015;Wagner, Sen, Permanadeli, & Howarth, 2012).…”