Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: veiling/counter-veiling in Sub-Saharan Africa / Elisha P. Renne -- Part 1. Veiling histories and modernities -- Veiling, fashion, and social mobility: a century of change in Zanzibar / Laura Fair -- Veiling without veils: modesty and reserve in Tuareg cultural encounters / Susan J. Rasmussen -- Intertwined veiling histories in Nigeria / Elisha P. Renne -- Part 2. Veiling and fashion -- Religious modesty, fashionable glamour, and cultural text: veiling in Senegal / Leslie W. Rabine -- Modest bodies, stylish selves: fashioning virtue in Niger / Adeline Masquelier -- "Should a good Muslim cover her face?" Pilgrimage, veiling, and fundamentalisms in Cameroon / José C. M. van Santen -- Part 3. Veiling/counter-veiling -- Invoking hijab: the power politics of spaces and employment in Nigeria / Hauwa Mahdi -- "We grew up free but here we have to cover our faces": veiling among Oromo refugees in Eastleigh, Kenya / Peri M. Klemm -- Vulnerability unveiled: Lubna's pants and humanitarian visibility on the verge of Sudan's secession / Amal Hassan Fadlalla.

Description based on print version record.

The tradition of the veil, which refers to various cloth coverings of the head, face, and body, has been little studied in Africa, where Islam has been present for more than a thousand years. These lively essays raise questions about what is distinctive about veiling in Africa, what religious histories or practices are reflected in particular uses of the veil, and how styles of veils have changed in response to contemporary events. Together, they explore the diversity of meanings and experiences with the veil, revealing it as both an object of Muslim piety and an expression of glamorous fas