Unveiling agency : feminism and multiculturalism in the

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between multiculturalism and feminism and opposes the view that multiculturalism is "bad" for women. I make a feminist case for multiculturalism and argue for a relationship between the two which is positive- rather than zero-sum. The grounds for this case are those of women's agency in context. My concern is first and foremost with women as agents, situated in particular contexts, acting within multiple roles and thus enabled and constrained in multiple ways. I illustrate this concern by focusing on the agency of Muslim women in France and the "Affaire du Foulard". Consequently, my discussion takes place at two, interconnected levels: (1) The "general" debate over the relationship between multiculturalism and feminism, which is my primary focus; (2) The "particular" level of the "Affaire" and the "foulard" itself in the French context. At both levels, my central concern is women's agency. Feminism, I argue, must understand women as agents acting within multiple roles and thus constrained in multiple ways, as both vulnerable within cultural groups and members of these groups. Feminism and multiculturalism are, therefore, allies rather than opponents.