Exclusion in the Canadian context: Full-face veils as a barrier to citizenship

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This article explores the fiery debate on the prohibition that restricted women in fullface veils from participating in citizenship and oath-taking ceremonies in Canada (2011–2015). It shows that one of the most salient elements in this debate was limiting access to the possibilities of acquiring citizenship for veiled women and the communities they represent. Utilizing a combination of post-colonial theory, ideas of deliberative democracy, and agonistic pluralism I explore the production of discourses that scapegoat veiled women as a threat to the imagined ideal of national identity and which situate full-face veils and the women who wear them as a threat to the Canadian political sphere. After reviewing the interdisciplinary literature surrounding this debate the article concludes with a discussion of how this prohibition works against the very ideals of pluralism.</jats:p>