Using Narrative Inquiry to Understand Anti-Muslim Racism in Canadian Nursing

• Published in: Canadian journal of nursing research 2023-09, Vol.55 (3), p.292-304
• Main Authors: Saleh, Nasrin, Clark, Nancy, Bruce, Anne, Moosa-Mitha, Mehmoona
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Islamophobia; Narratives; Nurses; Nursing; Original Research Reports; Racism; Xenophobia
• ISSN: 0844-5621; 1705-7051
• DOI: 10.1177/08445621221129689

Background Islamophobia or, anti-Muslim racism, and more specifically, gendered islamophobia targeting Muslim women who wear a hijab is rising globally and is aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, anti-Muslim racism is not well understood in Canadian nursing. Purpose This study utilized narrative inquiry to understand anti-Muslim racism through the experiences of nurses who wear a hijab with the goal of putting forward their counter-narrative that disrupts anti-Muslim racism in Canadian nursing. Methods Narrative inquiry informed by Critical Race Feminism, care ethics, and intersectionality were used to analyze the factors shaping anti-Muslim racism and composite narratives were used to present the results. Results The three composite narratives are: ‘This is Who I Am: A Muslim Nurse with a Hijab and an Accent’; ‘I Know What is at Play: Unveiling Operating Power Structures and Power Relations’; and ‘Rewriting the Narrative: Navigating Power Structures and Power Relations’. These composite narratives constituted the nurses’ counter-narrative. They revealed intersections of gendered, racial divisions of labour and religious narratives that shape anti-Muslim racism, as operating power relations in nursing, and how Muslim nurses reclaimed control to resist their racialized stereotypes. Conclusion Findings suggest that anti-Muslim racism in nursing operates through multiple intersecting power relations. Using stories can mobilize transformational change so that anti-racist practices, policies, and pedagogy can be embraced.