Books & ideas

Secularization and its Other: the French Problem

François Dubet — 2015-06-15T06:00:00Z

Does secularist rhetoric secretly lend itself to a discourse on social order and the exclusion of formerly colonized peoples? François Dubet argues that it is important to recognize French secularism's rigid and conservative turn. But he also believes that we must qualify this claim if we are to find alternative secularities.

Religion and the Revolution to Come

Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins — 2014-10-16T08:00:00Z

Acknowledging that the world is in dire need of religion, Roberto Unger's latest book envisions something ambitious, namely the creation of a “religion of the future”, which will not only revolutionize the way humans think about and practice religion but will also lead to a political revolution.

Secularism and State Feminism: Tunisia's Smoke and Mirrors

Augustin Jomier — 2011-11-29T10:21:59Z

For some time, Tunisia prided itself on championing secularism and women's rights. This smokescreen concealing the regime's excesses encouraged complacency in the French political class. A reconsideration is in order, now that the Jasmine Revolution has paved the way for a legal and institutional overhaul.

Hijab: the struggle goes on

Joan W. Scott — 2009-09-08T07:36:15Z

Two books study the relationships between European societies and their Muslim minorities, in the wake of the Hijab controversy. Joan W. Scott claims that critical republicanism, as defined by Cécile Laborde, leads us to question the republican value of actual institutions and norms. It appears that France is not too republican, but not republican enough.

Virginity and Burqa: Unreasonable Accommodations?

Cécile Laborde — 2008-10-30T12:16:05Z

Setting side by side the Stasi Report on secularism and the recent Bouchard-Taylor Report published in Quebec in 2008, Cécile Laborde brings out the inconsistencies in the French position and its « catho-laïque » particularism.