Extract

Veiled Superheroes: Islam, Feminism, and Popular Culture by Sophia Rose Arjana is one of the first books to bring a study to Muslim female superheroes. Veiled Superheroes is placed at the intersections of several fields of study, including religion, popular culture, and gender studies. Arjana openly states the point of her book is to demonstrate not only the presence of these figures in pop culture, but ‘what their bodies, costumes, words, and actions communicate’ (p. xvi). Arjana’s study focuses on five primary case studies: Ms. Marvel, Burka Avenger, Qahera, Raat, and Bloody Nasreen. These case studies span across levels of cultural knowledge, from incredibly well-known figures (Mrs. Marvel) to those lesser known (Bloody Nasreem), as well as across different countries and cultural contexts.

The book begins with a study of how popular culture has previously represented Muslims and Muslim bodies. The focus is on how Muslim representations have been tied to colonialism and the exoticisation of the Muslim body. Muslim women have a dual nature, one which is either the sexualised harem, or the veiled and reserved figure. Arjana then briefly explains how their case studies subvert and alter these perspectives.

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