PhD Research Student

Aisha Boulanouar

Title of Research: Myths and Reality: Meaning in Moroccan Muslim Women's Dress

Qualifications: B Com (Otago); MCA (Hons) (Victoria)

Supervisors: Dr Robert Aitken and Professor Sarah Todd

Short description of research topic:

This study applies a critical case framework to investigate the question of the meaning of the wearing, or not wearing, of clothing which meets the Islamic guidelines for publicly consumed dress by young Moroccan Muslim women in their home/native context. Using matched, in-depth, qualitative interviews with young Moroccan women and their mothers, questionnaire data and field notes, this study considers the nexus of English language literature and non-English language life and where they meet – if at all. Muslim womens clothing is considered a good illustrative example for a starting point in the consideration of how ‘others’ are represented in English, and what the problems may be when the distance between how they are represented or ‘understood’ is different from how they understand themselves.