The Headscarf Dispute and Normative Self-Understanding in Germany.

Through an analysis of the headscarf controversy (Kopftuchstreit), this paper seeks to clarify an aspect of an unstable normative self-understanding in contemporary Germany. The headscarf dispute in Germany relates to the question of whether or not teachers at public schools should be prohibited from wearing a scarf during teaching hours. This dispute has extended to the entire public sphere ever since the judgment passed by the Federal Constitutional Court in September 2003. The dispute goes well beyond a mere opposition between pro-prohibition and anti-prohibition groups. However, it develops under the common self-understanding that Germany is a neutral state on matters of religion and worldview (Weltanschauung) but on the other hand a free and democratic society. Historical significance has been attached to this understanding because it closely relates to a conquest of National Socialism. It is variously interpreted in the controversy. In this context, we find that the dispute reflects a conflict in German postwar society (Nachkriegsgesellschaft). The present dispute has not come to an end, and hence, its outcome is not clear. However, we can safely state that the outcome will by no means be a trivial matter for Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]