Competing Sartorial Assertions of Femininity and Muslim Identity in Mali

Abstract

This article explores conflicting notions of morality, religion, virtue, and authenticity through an analysis of dress and identity politics in Mali. While many women in urban Mali claim that being a Muslim believer does not preclude one from cultivating a fashionable, modern look, they are challenged by other women who emphasize the representational function of dress. To the latter, the choice of a dress forms part of their public enactment of a pious disposition and their understanding of religious virtue that revolves around notions of female modesty, submissiveness, and patience. These divergent views of proper female dress are further complicated by many women's ambivalent positioning vis-à-vis the government's promotion of “traditional dress” as an emblem of an authentic African identity. By exposing how these different groups of women debate the significance of particular dress items, this article draws attention to the complex and paradoxical nature of the practices through which women interrogate, and redefine, conventional understandings of femininity, proper Muslim observance, and enlightened-yet-authentically “African” identity.