Publisher's Synopsis
This work demonstrates that the veil, the garment known in Islamic cultures as the ""hijab"", holds within its folds a semantic versatility that goes far beyond current cliches and homogenous representations. Whether seen as romantic or as erotic, a symbol of oppression or a sign of piety, modesty, or purity, the veil carries thousands of years of religious, sexual, social and political significance. Using examples from both the East and West - including Persian poetry, American erotica, Iranian and Indian films, and government-sanctioned posters - the author shows that the veil has become a ubiquitous symbol,
