Islamophobia in Canadian Nursing: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study

Date
2025-01-08
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Abstract

Muslim Nurses in Canada are experiencing Islamophobia in the workplace as well as in educational institutions. These experiences result in increased mental distress for these nurses, social isolation at the workplace, and considerations of leaving the nursing profession. This thesis explores the experiences of Islamophobia for Registered Nurses who wear the hijab at work in Canada. This study is grounded in Critical Race Theory and aims to answer the following research question: What are the experiences of Islamophobia for female Canadian Registered Nurses who wear the hijab? A total of six participants were interviewed, and the results were analyzed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method. Muslim nurses’ experiences were characterized by their sense of belonging. Key findings consist of the experiences of Islamophobia being related to the negative stereotypical identity of what it means to be a Muslim woman being associated with these nurses, how they discover their own identity as nurses and finally, how they reconcile their personal and social identities as Muslim women with their identity as Registered Nurses. This study adds to the literature on this topic by uncovering the internal process of self-discovery that Muslim nurses go through after experiencing Islamophobia through being assigned an identity. This process helps them to discover their own identities as well as reconcile what it means to them to be Muslim nurses, thus allowing them to be able to practice comfortably at the workplace. Recommendations of this study are that policy changes should be enacted which protect Muslim nurses and work to reduce the normalization of Islamophobia and the prejudiced beliefs about Muslims in the nursing profession to prevent incidents of Islamophobia. Secondly, more education needs be provided to nursing students as well as staff regarding anti-racism and Islamophobia to encourage the creation of supportive nursing places. Finally, more support needs to be provided to Muslim nurses who are experiencing Islamophobia at the workplace.

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Keywords
Islamophobia, Islamophobia in Nursing, Hijab and Nursing, Muslim Nurses, Interpretative phenomenological analysis, racism
Citation
Upal, Z. (2025). Islamophobia in Canadian nursing: an interpretive phenomenological study (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.