The Politics of Identity and Space: Muslim Female Students' Discourses on their Experiences in Secular High Schools

There is a wealth of existing literature on the importance of student organizations both at the secondary and post-secondary level; however, very little is known about Muslim female youth and their experiences in Muslim student groups in secondary schools. This study focuses on the discourses of adolescent Muslim females and their participation in Muslim student organizations in public high schools in Ontario. The educational experiences of Muslim female students are shaped by a variety of discourses, including Orientalism, secularism, Islamic religious discourses, and discourses on gender and sexuality. Through in-depth interviews with Muslim female high school students and Muslim high school teachers who supervise Muslim student organizations within one of the largest and most culturally and racially diverse school boards in Ontario, I explored the internal dynamics of Muslim student groups and their connection to identity and space. I also examined equity and inclusive education policy documents and religious accommodation policy guidelines in several public school boards in Ontario, in order to better understand the official discourses on religious accommodation. My analysis of participant discourses used the theoretical concepts of Orientalism, outlined by Edward Said, and Third Space by Homi Bhabha and Henri Lefebvre, as well as the notion of hybridity also conceptualized by Homi Bhabha. Student discourses revealed that participation in Muslim student groups provided them with avenues to socially integrate into the larger school community, as well as to develop tools to advocate for religious accommodations. In addition, participants highlighted that Muslim student groups often function as a Third Space within secular schools and have the capacity for transformative change with female leaders at the helm. Finally, teachers who were interviewed pointed out the importance of religious accommodations in the lives of Muslim students as well as the need to develop uniform policies in schools targeting the implementation and monitoring of religious accommodation policies. The lack of understanding of those policies at the school level often translates into a lack of professional development on religious accommodations and an uneven implementation of policies across schools and teachers.Ph.D