Identity Formation and Muslim Women in the UK: The Roles of Religion, Family and Education
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In this chapter, I will briefly locate my Doctoral research on Muslim women in the existing literature as part of my PhD. As Jenkins 2000 and Elliot 2001 have argued, feminist studies have demonstrated that women are facing many challenges and the process of identity formation is influenced by many contradictory factors. Research on Muslim women and identity agrees with the wider view of identity put forward by contemporary society theorists like Giddens and Bauman that identities are not singular and rigid, but that they are fluid and constantly challenged. The originality of my PhD is the importance of generational differences. Hence the chapter will argue that although generations have been investigated, the majority of existing studies look at the younger generation and fail to offer comparisons with the older generation. It is argued that there is a strong relationship between generation and identity. Bauman in contends that in the past, the social conditions in which people formed their identities allowed for the illusion of stability and certainty. However, it can be argued that social conditions have changed and that this illusion may no longer be relevant to following generations. Thus, the PhD will compare and contrast in equal measure the experiences of both migrant Muslim mothers aged 35 and over and their daughters aged 16 to 18 living in Leicester UK.