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Toqa Hassan Thesis.pdf (738.29 KB)

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SPEAKING THROUGH THEIR CLOTHES: THE IDENTITY CHALLENGES OF MUSLIM WOMEN USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE WESTERN WORLD TO NEGOTIATE BEAUTY FRAMES

Hassan, Toqa A
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron154142654997689

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Arts, University of Akron, Communication.
Guided by co-cultural theory and the theory of social construction of reality, this research aims to understand how Muslim women living in the West, specifically as a culturally underrepresented group in the United States, use and engage social media in order to shape, form, and negotiate their identities with others, online and in the real world. As the theory of social construction of reality suggests, individuals go through various stages of socialization, having parents and family mainly shaping their primary internalizations and externalizations of the world, and as they mature and form their personalities and identities, going through the secondary internalization and externalization processes. In doing so, co-cultural theory suggests that as members of a cultural group, Muslim women living in a secular Western society, have three communication strategies that they can use to communicate with those outside the co-cultural group. The findings of this study suggest that Muslim women only use two of the three communication strategies, nonassertive and assertive, in order to reach one of three preferred outcomes: separate, accommodate, and assimilate. The data show the ways that Muslim women enact the two communication strategies and their reasoning for doing so. In order to understand the women’s identities and their formations, using the qualitative method of research, the study thoroughly interviewed 10 Muslim women who frequently use social media while living in the United States. The participants were a diverse group of Muslim women who come from an array of backgrounds in order to obtain answers from all different groups of Muslims. Subsequent to the coding and analysis for the interviews, six major themes emerged about the women’s co-culturally socialized realities: (1) modesty and Hijab in context: when, where, who, (2) uniting with other Muslims globally, (3) complex identities: proud unique, and sometimes insecure, (4) racism, colorism, and prejudice among Muslim women, (5) intersectionalities of Muslim women: Islamic vs cultural practices, and (6) differences between being Muslim-American and Muslim-Other. With these themes, this study extends existing scholarship about Muslim women living in the US by demonstrating the impact social media have on their lives and the formation of their identities. Additionally, the study details how the participants take control of social media and use it as a way to present themselves and their complex identities to the world. The findings of this study highlight the co-cultural communicative strategies that Muslim women use in order to negotiate who they are to those they interact with and to embrace their differences and why they choose to do so within the preset power structures of dominant society.
Kathleen Clark, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Mary Triece, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Heather Walter, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
108 p.
Communication
co-culural theory, social construction of reality, social media, Muslim women, identity negotiation, beauty

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hassan, T. A. (2018). SPEAKING THROUGH THEIR CLOTHES: THE IDENTITY CHALLENGES OF MUSLIM WOMEN USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE WESTERN WORLD TO NEGOTIATE BEAUTY FRAMES [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron154142654997689

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hassan, Toqa. SPEAKING THROUGH THEIR CLOTHES: THE IDENTITY CHALLENGES OF MUSLIM WOMEN USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE WESTERN WORLD TO NEGOTIATE BEAUTY FRAMES. 2018. University of Akron, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron154142654997689.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hassan, Toqa. "SPEAKING THROUGH THEIR CLOTHES: THE IDENTITY CHALLENGES OF MUSLIM WOMEN USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE WESTERN WORLD TO NEGOTIATE BEAUTY FRAMES." Master's thesis, University of Akron, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron154142654997689

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.