To veil or not to veil: Turkish and Iranian hijab policies and the struggle for recognition

This paper explores the significance of the hijab as an emblem of the state ideologies and policies of Iran and Turkey. It also discusses the movements of resistance relating to it undertaken by women in these countries. In both Iran and Turkey, the hijab carries a political significance beyond being a simple veil; indeed, it has raised important policy issues through history. Unlike contemporary societies in the West, where the acceptance of diverse values is emphasized as part of their ‘politics of difference,’ in the cases of Iran and Turkey, the rule of the majority is legally reinforced by the ‘values of equal dignity.’ Moreover, while Turkey and Iran, at first glance, have opposite hijab policies, this study finds that women in neither country have the right to decide whether or not to wear it, which has galvanized their struggles for recognition.