The diversity of professional Canadian Muslim women: Faith, agency, and ‘performing’ identity

Abstract

This article examines how identities are constructed and performed by a sample of Muslim women in the Canadian workplace. This research will provide new insights on how Muslim women disclose or ‘perform’ their identities in different contexts. This study will build upon previous research on identity construction of ethnic minorities in the workplace and intersectionality and the workplace experiences of Muslim women by conducting interviews with 23 professional Muslim women in Canada. The findings have important implications for understanding Muslim women’s identity work in broader contexts of discrimination, as well as accommodation and inclusion in organizations.

A relational perspective comparison of workplace discrimination toward Muslims in Muslim-minority and Muslim-majority countries

“…On the other hand, in Muslim-majority countries, work-family issues oftentimes are the main trigger of workplace discrimination. European countries Nagra (2018) Canada Basit (1996) The UK Rabby and Rodgers (2011) The USA Ali et al (2015) The USA Warren (2018) The UK Alkhazraji et al (1997) The USA Foroutan (2011) Australia Khattab and Modood (2015) The UK Latif et al (2018) Canada Lindley (2002) The UK Kershen (2011) The UK Rashid (2016) The UK Baldi (2018) European countries Ball and Haque (2003) The…”

Niqab –as a Symbol of Resistance: Muslim Women’s Experiences With the Face Veil

“…Mainstream media portrays Niqabi women as an "iconic sign of differences" and reinforces the "us" versus "them" binary (Thomas, 2015). Furthermore, a 'homogenous identity' is often imposed on this diverse group of women, which ignores their multiple identities and strips them of their inherent liberty (Latif et al, 2018).…”

“…There is far less research on how Muslims themselves, particularly Muslim women, construct and navigate their identities in mainstream society (Latif et. al, 2018).…”

“…al, 2018). Muslim identities are shaped by their lived experiences and they should not be treated as a monolithic group due to the many differences that exist between them (Latif et. al, 2018).…”

Black and white or shades of grey: Religious approaches and Muslim marital conflict

“…Scholars have investigated immigrant Muslim gendered religious performativity in public spaces (Khan, 2018;Khurshid, 2012;Latif et al, 2018;Shams, 2018), but Muslim gendered religious performativity within intimate family life has not been explored, nor has attention been focussed on the diverse approaches through which Muslims engage with Islam. Although Joseph (2008) underscored the dearth of critical scholarship on family and gender relations in Muslim-majority contexts over a decade ago, there is an ongoing absence of, and the need for, more research on the intersection of immigrant Muslim religious and family life (Hatch et al, 2017).…”