Suppressing a stigmatised group’s identity symbols strengthens rather than erodes that identity

Evidence

Such experiences increased in-group solidarity and identification with their religious identity. Brown (2001) observes that as Muslim identities have been constructed as ‘other’ to western identities, an attempt to distort Muslim identities, or to suppress the symbols of these identities, often has the opposite effect; it strengthens these identities. — Irene Zempi and Imran Awan, Islamophobia, 255

Categorization

• XREF: Reads alongside the moral-panic and immodesty-dress material — attempts to police dress and markers of difference backfiring, as with the crucifixion of the silk/veiling reforms. — connects to: Symbol bans fail without social support but succeed when the public resists collectively — Gregory H. Stanton, Ten Stages of Genocide, 2; Colour-blind ideologies threaten non-dominant group members by suppressing identity-relevant aspects of self — Anna X. Huang, Jacqueline M. Chen, and Juliane Degner, Being One or the Other, Both or…, 86; Identity denial lowers belonging yet raises the need for the group — Anna X. Huang, Jacqueline M. Chen, and Juliane Degner, Being One or the Other, Both or…, 108