Could you help me with my dissertation on identity?

Question

It's about Muslim identity and whether it can ever be configured to fit within the concept of British culture. I need to know what to focus on in each of my three chapters and I will be using secondary sources only. I have had a brain freeze today and can't think properly so any good suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Your dissertation shouldn't be based on Yahoo! Answers.  Its your dissertation, so you need to do the legwork, as opposed to everyone here telling you the answers, especially as most people on here won't be qualified to help you.

Answer 2

How about if you work in the concept of 'othering'? Maybe work in some Frantz Fanon and Edward Said and other post-colonialists who I've currently forgotten... oops.

Only three weeks until my final assignment and exam towards my final degree grade and I'm forgetting theorists... not good.

Answer 3

Depending on what level dissertation you are doing...this would be a great dissertation to use primary sources, but i know that can be a problem with time constraints and such.  But you should make sure to: 1. define identity 2. attempt to define islamic identity 3. how it relates to britsh identity.  but you should also throw in the arguments on both sides of the table before making your conclusion.  Good luck!

Answer 4

First things first,

missy you are one cute hunni! aaooooo...rrrrr

ok, now for my idea on your dissertation, here goes.

well in the 1st chapter you discuss the origins of tradition and culture involved in contemporary muslim identity.

compare orthodox and contemporary lifestyles, family life, courting etc.

2nd chapter, you could show what British culture has been based upon and it's cultural influences over the last 2 centuries.

3rd chapter, present a picture of muslim culture in britain, ranging from the youth, oldies, migrants and migrant youth.

you can show how far both british and muslim cultures have integrated among the muslim community.

also show the base of both cultures.

every culture is predominantly based on religion.

(including political policies and agenda)

in your hypothesis you could state, perhaps, that muslim identity cannot fit into the total concept of british culture because of contradictory and conflicting religious beliefs.

just trying to help.

all the best love :-)

p.s. primary sources could give the whole thing a nice touch.

don't go too far, just use the opinions of your mum n dad or others in the community, preferably those who have lived for at least 10 years in the UK would be nice.

Answer 5

I guess the easiest way to structure it would be to discuss muslim identity and british culture in the first chapter, in the second discuss the tensions between the two and the main positives on each side and then in your third chapter bring it together to see if the positives of both sides can be combined or whether the individual identities and differences are too great to combine british culture with muslim identity...although as a post-modernist I would argue that there is no such thing as a unified 'muslim identity' or a 'british culture' but rather there are multiplicites of identies and cultures all under the respective labels - maybe you want to look at post-modernism and multi-culturalism and combine that with identity politics and the failings of group based claims for recognition and how this silences minority voices within those groups?

Answer 6

I think that Islamic people in this country, just as any other people in this country, should live life as they want and not according to the doctrines of the 'Daily Mail' or far right organisations who never wanted you here in the first place, even though many of you people were born and bred here.

Ffs, I don't eat fish and chips on Friday or go to church on Sundays, and I'm still seen as British by many people on here!

Sorry, this makes me really angry (hence the name change on my avatar for this week - parties like the British National Party p*ss me off with their anti-Islam attitiude).

Answer 7

Your first chapter should be about defining identity - how is identity formed - what gives us identity and why is it different from other cultures - then discuss cultural identity.

Thats where I would start.

Answer 8

One interesting aspect of the topic might be based on the fact that British culture and Muslim identity can no longer be thought of as separate entities.  Any attempt to describe British culture would have to include something about Muslim influence e.g. direct political influence (the Muslim vote), more general aspects aspects (food, TV channels, religious equality), and the effect of presence of a large openly religious community on what arguably aspires to be a secular society.   On the other hand, it could be argued that the existence of a large number of Muslims within British secular society is creating a crisis for Muslim identity which must either move towards a liberal, integrationist approach or retreat into what is with great oversimplification usually called a fundamentalist approach.