History of Veiling | Nope w/ Kunal Kamra ft Debangana Chatterjee | 067

Debangana Chatterjee, a JNU graduate, is currently an Assistant Professor and the co-director of the Centre for Women and the Law (CWL) at National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. Her book, Lives of Circumcised and Veiled Women (2023), focuses on the intersection of gender, culture and politics. Chapters: 0:00 – Opening 0:50 – Why study gender and culture, not just “minorities” 2:05 – What gets politicised and what doesn’t: sari, bindi, hijab 3:30 – From states to everyday life: rethinking “international politics” 5:00 – Method and evidence: listening to women’s narratives 6:10 – What is “veiling”? Beyond the word hijab 7:45 – Veiling before Islam: history, status, and culture 9:30 – Scripture vs practice: what Islamic texts actually say 11:10 – No single meaning: veiling, ghunghat, and local cultures 12:40 – Bans, Islamophobia, and the global turn after 2010 14:20 – Iran vs India: same symbol, opposite politics 16:40 – Karnataka and classrooms: education, mobility, and rights 18:40 – Choice vs agency: autonomy under unequal conditions 21:10 – Minorities, protectionism, and the “saviour” narrative 23:30 – Fieldwork stories: Ahmedabad, ghettoisation, and fear 26:00 – Fashion, social media, convenience, and identity 28:10 – Media stereotypes and the myth of the “burqa woman” 30:00 – Many reasons, many meanings: wearing it and not wearing it 31:20 – Female circumcision/FGC: why this debate is different 33:00 – Science, law, and the problem of framing it as one practice 35:00 – Human rights and context: why it’s not a simple yes/no 37:00 – Why some celebrate bans: right-wing politics and “us vs them” 39:30 – From “oppressed” to “threatening”: how narratives flip 41:30 – France, Europe, and global bans on veiling 43:00 – The colonial gaze, exoticisation, and control of bodies 45:00 – Understanding symbols through history and power Credits • Research Head: Anirban Bhattacharya • Camera Operator / Mixing and Mastering / Intro Music — @Mahansangeet : https://www.instagram.com/hi_mahan/ • Camera Operator / Video Editor / Intro Animation — @RevantTalekar : https://www.instagram.com/revanttalekar • Camera Operator / Guest Logistics Coordinator — @VybhavSharma https://www.instagram.com/vybhavsharma/ • Production Assistant — Haran Shetty