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Article
South Asian Muslim American Girl Power: Structures and Symbols of Control and Self Expression
Journal of International Women's Studies
  • Marcia K. Hermansen, Loyola University Chicago
  • Mahruq F. Khan, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2009
Abstract

South Asian Muslim American (SAMA) girls studied ethnographically in Chicago and more broadly in the United States negotiate these three components (South Asian, Muslim, and American) of identity across the spheres of home, Islamic institutions, and the public “American” realm. . Drawing on interviews and fieldwork at an Islamic school and within South Asian families and mosques, the authors illustrate how nascent “girl” power is evidenced in these contexts drawing on media representations, academic sources, and data drawn from participant observation. Sources of SAMA girls’ expressions of confidence and power are selective use of identity markers, increased mastery of Islamic knowledge, and various subtle acts of resistance to norms imposed upon them within home and family interactions, Islamic spaces, and the American public sphere.

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Author Posting. © Journal of International Women's Studies, 2009. This article is posted here by permission of the Journal of International Women's Studies for personal use, not for redistribution. The article was published in the Journal of International Women's Studies, Volume 11, Issue 1, November 2009.

Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0
Citation Information
Hermansen, MK and MF Khan. "South Asian Muslim American Girl Power: Structures and Symbols of Control and Self Expression." Journal of International Women's Studies 11(1), 2009.