Citizenship and Politics of Belonging – Inclusionary and Exclusionary Framings of Gender and Ethnicity

Abstract

The article explores the intersectional approach to citizenship and politics of belonging focusing on the different framings of gender and ethnicity. It investigates the intersections of gender and ethnicity in the construction of national belongings. The hijab debates illustrate the contextual uses of intersectionality in public debates and illuminate the different framings of gender and ethnicity with both inclusionary and exclusionary effects. The argument is that political actors can (mis)use arguments about gender equality in order to construct social distinctions between ‘them and us’ – between the white gender equal majority and the oppressed Muslim women.