The lived experiences of Muslim women in Australia : racism and gendered responses

  • Firdaws Karim

Western Sydney University thesis: Doctoral thesis

Abstract

Shortly after September 11, Muslim populations in Western non-Muslim contexts received increased attention. While the increased publicity was directed at all Muslims, Australian Muslim women, and especially women who were more 'visibly' Muslim, were at times more vulnerable to Islamophobic targeting. Conceiving of Islamophobia as both a form of systemic or structural racism and as a series of everyday microaggressions, this thesis explores how Australian Muslim women across different demographics respond in gendered ways to the Islamophobia they experience in their everyday lives. The study is particularly interested in an intersectional appraisal of the ways Muslim women perceive and respond to the Islamophobia directed at them, ranging from normalisation, silence, and the emotional management of others to overt resistance and activism. Additionally, this research considers the role of faith in the women participants' lives and how this assists them in understanding Islamophobia, while partially shaping the strategies the participants deploy in their responses towards broader and individually expressed Islamophobic attitudes.
Date of Award2021
Original languageEnglish

Keywords

  • Muslim women
  • Islamophobia
  • racism
  • Australia

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