Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Shia Ismaili Muslim Girls Negotiate Islam in the Classroom

ABSTRACT

This case study investigates the experiences of Shia Ismaili Muslim girls as they encounter themselves as subjects of social studies curriculums on Islam. A postcolonial lens is used to examine differently empowered subjectivities and curricular epistimes within the high school world history context. In an effort to understand their experiences, this study focuses on how the students position themselves in relation to the curriculum, and ultimately asks, to what extent do students from minority communities of interpretation appropriate or resist the authoritative narrative of Islam offered in their classrooms, particularly around the question, “Who is a Muslim?” The central finding revealed a paradox of representation and participation for these students, who found their practice and interpretation of Islam silenced in the classroom curriculum, and yet felt obliged to defend Islam and educate others against stereotypes of Muslims. The implications of this study compel educators to explore decolonial approaches to teaching about the religious other.

Notes

¹ Ogle, D. M. (1986). KWL: A teaching model that develops active reading of expository text. Reading Teacher, 39, 564–570.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Natasha Hakimali Merchant

Natasha Hakimali Merchant, PhD, is a lecturer at the University of Washington Bothell. Her research focuses on approaches to religious others in social studies classrooms. Recently, she has studied the way Islam is approached in high school social studies curriculum, with particular attention to the curricular experiences of Muslim students from minority communities of interpretation.