Abstract:
Many global feminist issues revolve around the obsession with the burqa. To many in the Western world the burqa symbolizes the oppression of the women ‘behind the veil’. This image of Middle Eastern and South Asian women, scurrying around silently is often presented in our media to reinforce this idea. In, Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?, Abu-Lughod focuses on the negative connotations associated with the burqa and religious traditions that carry oppressive, anti-feminist undertones with our society. In National Discourses on Women’s Empowerment in Bangladesh: Enabling or constraining women’s choices?, various women’s organizations and their plans of action to empower Bangladeshi women are explored. In Kathleen Holscher’s article, Contesting the Veil in America: Catholic Habits and the Controversy over Religious Clothing in the United States, bans against burqas are becoming more and more popular and the same issue arises in the U.S. as well. With such controversy surrounding the burqa and the women who choose to wear them, one must understand the cultural meaning behind this form of religious clothing. The larger goal of this essay is to analyze the misconception of Western feminist and women’s organizations that these women must be ‘unveiled’ or liberated as our society sees fit.
Works Cited
Abu-Lughod, Lila. "Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on
Cultural Relativism and Its Others." American Anthropologist 104.3 (2002): 783-90. Print.
Holscher, Kathleen. "Conttesting the Veil in America:Catholic Habits and the Controversy over
Religious Clothing in the United States." Journal of Church and State 54.1 (2012): 57-81.
Print.
Nazneen, Sohela, Maheen Sultan, and Naomi Hossain. "National Discourses on Women's
Empowerment in Bangladesh:Enabling or Constraining Women's Choices." Development.
2010. Web. 05 Apr. 2012. journals.com/development/journal/v53/n2/abs/dev201011a.html>.
from Christy Rogers
ReplyDeleteIs the abstract focused on a central idea?
Yes
What is the central idea of the proposed paper?
The burqa and its controversial connotations, especially concerning feminism
Is this idea engaging?
Yes! It’s a great way to challenge the general view of Muslim women in America and try to gain a new perspective on the issue.
Who are the writer’s intended readers? What does the writer assume the audience knows and believes?
American students, probably. The writer seems to assume that readers know how Americans feel about Muslims, or at least how American media portrays Muslim women.
What evidence will the writer include to support his or her thesis?
The writer lists several reputable sounding sources in her works cited and paraphrases some of them in her abstract.
Is this evidence sufficient, credible, and relevant to the topic?
Yes.
Do you notice any logical fallacies or assumptions that will hinder the writer from writing a clear, strong, well-researched paper?
She might want to comment on how Muslim women suddenly gained stigma for wearing burqa after 9/11. That would explain why the media portrays Muslim women the way they do.
What does the writer do especially well in the abstract?
She shows that she researched her topic very thoroughly and knows what the sources are about.
What one or two things would most improve to help the writer improve his or her first draft?
Could probably give more detail about what exactly she intends to do with this paper. The one sentence summary at the end makes a great thesis, but for an abstract, more detail is needed.
The central idea proves to be very promising. I have always been intrigued about the veiled women and your topic is going to provide some insight on the practice. I appreciate your own "unveiling" of the cultural tradition and shedding light on the controversy surrounding the article of clothing. Good luck.
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