The Politics of the Headscarf and Recognition in Finland’sIntegration Debates

Abstract

Muslim women and the Islamic headscarf are recurrent themes in Finnishsocio-political discussions focusing on the limits and possibilities ofimmigrant integration. In this short study, I analyze the way Finnishpolitical discourse is instrumentalized in order to negatively frameMuslim immigrant women (specifically those who wear the Islamicheadscarf) as unable to integrate into Finnish society. The premise of myargument is the acknowledgement of integration as a two-way processand of individual identities as dependent on recognition by one'ssignificant others. I thus argue that, for successful integration, societymust facilitate recognition of the immigrants' religious identities andpractices and avoid legislative governance measures such as headscarfbans which misrecognize Muslim women's identities.