Social Commentary and Political Action: The Headscarf as Popular Culture and Symbol of Political Confrontation in Modern Turkey¹

Over the course of time, human apparel has come to symbolize a number of themes beyond style and fashion.This is evident in the Middle East, where religiously inspired dress codes, the veiling of the human body, social identity, status, and political prowess have a long and varied history dating back to distant antiquity in the pre-Islamic world of ancient Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Anatolia.Usually associated with Near Eastern pomp and ceremonial values in relation to the simplified dress of the classical world, a great misunderstanding exists on the nature and function of dress in both the ancient and modern Middle East.This is readily apparent today in the confrontation between Western concepts of fashion and the ubiquitous use of body coverings which appear in Middle Eastern dress.Our image of the black chudorwomen covered in black from head to toe-is the most obvious image we possess.Such imagery fuels the popular misconception of a society steeped in conservative "traditionalism" as opposed to Western concepts of "modernity."Human fashion in the Middle East, however, is both varied and unique.Over the course of centuries, human apparel has served as a social marker, as social and political commentary, as well as style and fashion that transcend the much narrower image of body covering.Such views on "traditional" dress dominate much of the debate on the use and abuse of the headscarf in Middle Eastern society, especially in Turkey, where it has come to symbolize religiously inspired political dissent.This is readily seen in a recent confrontation in Turkey as recorded in the U.S. media-"Students Fight to Wear Islamic Head Coverings" (Smucker 31).At issue was the right to publicly wear headscarves at secular Turkish universities.Headscarves and veiling are banned in the oflcial life of the Turkish republic due to their close association with non-secular values (Smucker 33).*Female students 25