Questioning French Secularism

"Combining rich ethnographic description and incisive theoretical analysis, Questioning French Secularism takes on some of the most provocative issues of our time: religiosity, immigration, Islam in the West, and gender politics. In her forceful yet nuanced account, Selby reveals why the French model for secularism poses Muslim women's agency as a core challenge to the state. This engaging and highly readable book is a must-read for scholars and students pursuing research on religion, gender, migration, and nationalism." (Chantal Tetreault, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Michigan State University, USA)

Selby argues that the complex “fetishization” of headscarves in public, governmental, and feminist French discourse positions publicly-visible Muslim women in ways that obscure their engagement with laïcité (French secularism).Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork, this book examines how contemporary secularism in France is positioned as a guarantor of women’s rights. Selby argues that the complex “fetishization” of headscarves in public, governmental, and feminist French discourse positions publicly-visible Muslim women in ways that obscure their engagement with laïcité (French secularism).