ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the theoretical works on symbolic representation and relates them to the construction of gender, placing the symbolic representation of gender within the broader literature on symbolic representation. It draws on literature from gender and nation studies that have paid particular attention to what women and men symbolise. The chapter develops the argument that although symbolic representation is a way of standing for a principal without acting on his or her behalf that is much like descriptive representation, it still requires a focus on content to see in substantive representation. It introduces the functions symbolic representation has that are related to the construction of identity, legitimacy, and political control. The chapter uses the example of the veil to illustrate both the discursive construction of a symbol such as the Islamic veil by a variety of policy actors and the functions that this symbol can have in processes of symbolic representation.
