European Commission

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VEIL project final conference
'Framing the Muslim Headscarf : Policy Debates and Regulations in Europe'

20-21 November 2008,
Ministry of Science and Research,
Freyung 3, 2nd floor,
1010 Vienna, Austria

The 6th FP project VEIL 'Values, Equality and Differences in Liberal Democracies: Debates about Muslim Headscarves in Europe' that was funded by the European Commission as a Specific Targeted Research Project will hold its final conference on 'Framing the Muslim headscarf: Policy debates and regulations in Europe' on 20-21 November 2008. Papers by the VEIL consortium will present research results and international distinguished scientists will comment on the project findings. The key-notes lectures will be given by Joan W. Scott on 'Secularism and Women’s Equality' and Christian Joppke on 'The Islamic Headscarf in Western Europe: Mirror of Identity'.

The VEIL project focused during the last three years on the debates, conflicts and regulations concerning head- and body coverings of Muslim women in the public sphere of eight European countries. As a highly visible symbol of religious difference and conflicting values the Muslim headscarf has been the subject of heated debates across Europe and subjected to increasing legal regulations in European countries.

One of the project’s main research questions was to explore how values and norms of liberal democracies are not only re-negotiated but collective identities re-constructed within the European integration process. The final conference will discuss these results and focus on the gendered nature of values and norms that widely prevail in liberal democracies in Europe.