The mathar orna and authority among middle-class Bangladeshi women: Personal reflections on a collective phenomenon

Abstract

This thesis explores the socio-cultural aspects of veiling among middle-class Bangladeshi women, especially the mathar orna. The subtle yet powerful maneuvering qualities of this specific form of veiling work to ensure a certain authoritative position for these women. This has significant implications for existing relations of domination and subordination, which women are able to partially reverse because of the ambiguity that characterizes the mathar orna, and its capacity to accommodate different meanings and usages. In this regard, rigid religious attributes can be dissociated from the practice of veiling to permit a much broader understanding of a social symbol such as the mathar orna and how it defines different facets of women’s daily lives.