SOCIAL MEDIA AND IDENTITY FORMATION IN SABYN JAVERI’S HIJABISTAN

Abstract

This essay explores the ways in which Muslim women's identity construction is depicted in Sabyn Javeri's Hijabistan and how it relates to social media self-representation practices. The paper examines how resistance, self-expression, and veiling are used as instruments of agency, performance, and negotiation through the lens of postcolonial feminist theory. The complications experienced by Muslim women in digital environments are reflected in the stories of Hijabistan, as characters construct their identities in response to religious expectations, societal constraints, and personal desires. Stories like "The Date," "The Urge," and "The Hijab and Her" are analyzed to show how identity is performative and flexible, influenced by both internal conflicts and outside gazes. The study illustrates how social media magnifies issues of visibility, empowerment, and conformity by comparing the literary and digital realms. It also looks at the ways that online activism, modesty, and personal narratives help to reshape identities in both virtual and real-world settings. In the end, this study presents Hijabistan as a critical literary environment that reflects the difficulties of constructing an identity in a globalized, digital culture.