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Mobilizing the hijab : Islamic identity negotiation in the context of a matchmaking website
Author(s) -
Zwick Detlev,
Chelariu Cristian
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of consumer behaviour
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.811
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1479-1838
pISSN - 1472-0817
DOI - 10.1002/cb.188
Subject(s) - negotiation , context (archaeology) , meaning (existential) , islam , normative , sociology , construct (python library) , identity (music) , service (business) , social psychology , order (exchange) , psychology , aesthetics , marketing , business , political science , law , social science , history , philosophy , archaeology , finance , computer science , psychotherapist , programming language
This article explores the intended use and meaning of the hijab as a personal branding tool for Muslim users of an online matchmaking service. We analyze the motivations of male and female Muslim consumers for mobilizing the symbolism of the hijab as they construct online identities. We ask whether including information about ‘willingness to wear the hijab’ is motivated primarily by a desire to comply to normative rules of conduct or by an instrumental attitude driven by a desire to effectively build and communicate a personal online brand. Our results indicate that the meaning of the hijab is not fixed and uncontested but is dependent on the historical and social context of insertion. In the context of an online matchmaking site, the motivation to mobilize the hijab is predominantly instrumental. In addition, women are more likely to use the hijab for personal branding than men, whose motivation to mobilize the veil's cultural and traditional symbolism prevails. In accordance with previous research, we find that a higher degree of education reduces the likelihood of men and women to use the hijab in order to conform to community norms. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.