#hijabiinwhitegirlfields
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In both the Québec debate on reasonable accommodation and the Western discourse surrounding the veil, we observe a troubling pattern of how public discussions of cultural identity can reinforce power imbalances and marginalize minority groups. Mahrouse critiques the Bouchard-Taylor Commission on reasonable accommodations, noting how the process positioned French-Canadian Quebecers as gatekeepers of Québec identity, while minorities, particularly immigrants, were placed in the defensive position of having to justify their presence and commitment to "Québec values" (89). This dynamic reinforced existing hierarchies, where immigrant voices were not fully heard but rather subsumed under the pressure to “defuse” the anxieties of the majority. This parallels Al-Saji’s (2010) analysis of the veiled Muslim woman in Western discourse, where the veil becomes both a symbol of oppression and a tool for excluding Muslim women from meaningful subjectivity. Al-Saji argues that the veil is often framed as an emblem of patriarchal control, and in doing so, it reduces veiled women to passive victims, erasing their individuality and agency. This "hypervisibility" of the veil simultaneously leads to the "de-subjectification" of Muslim women—making them highly visible in their oppression, yet invisible as active, autonomous subjects (891). Both the reasonable accommodation debates in Québec and Western representations of the veil function similarly: they create a space where minority identities are scrutinized and judged, while majority perspectives remain dominant and unchallenged. This pattern highlights how cultural representation and public discourse can serve as mechanisms of exclusion, reinforcing societal divisions rather than fostering genuine dialogue or inclusion. Both Al-Saji and Mahrouse demonstrate how these public processes, while ostensibly inclusive, often serve to legitimize dominant cultural norms, leaving minority groups in positions of perpetual defence and marginalization.
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this title is too good! #ate
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10/10 title