Facing Terrorism in France: Lessons from the 2015 Paris Attacks (French Politics, Society and Culture)

From 2015, Europe was hit by a new wave of terrorist attacks, coordinated or supported by an international Islamist organization (ISIS) but sometimes also perpetrated by citizens of the targeted country: the attacks on Paris, Brussels, London, Manchester, Nice and Barcelona probably attracted most attention but the most dramatic were perpetrated in Paris, in January and November 2015. These events shook the foundations of French society not only because of their magnitude but also because of the symbolic nature of the targets. Whilst in January, the targets were carefully selected as emblematic of France (the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo , the police forces, the Jewish community) and of European liberal values (journalists and cartoonists), in November the victims ordinary people enjoying music, sports and restaurants. The book offers a unique interdisciplinary investigation into the complex responses of French society: from the individual level (survivors of the Bataclan attack, emotional citizens paying homage to the victims, French Muslims) to the meso level of civic association and web communities, and the macro level of the State and public opinion. Praise for Facing Terrorism in France Contents List of Contributors List of Figures 1 Introduction Social Sciences and the Effects of Terrorism Structure of the Book References 2 At the Centre of the Attack: From Individual Fear to Mutual Assistance ‘Run for Your Life’ and ‘Everyone for Themselves’: The Myth of Crowd Panic Responding Together to Immediate Danger in the Context of a Mass Shooting: Our Study with Survivors of the Bataclan Massacre The Crowd in an Attack: ‘All for One, and One for All’? References 3 Out in the Street: Ephemeral Memorials to Express Mourning A Mourning Ritual Mediagenic Memorials Making the Ephemeral Last (or Not) A Staging of ‘Resilience’? References 4 On Television: Journalists Caught Between Rival Demands The Ambivalent Institutionalisation of the Media Stakes of Attacks Professional Practices and Public Controversies Learning Good Practices? References 5 On the Internet: From Conflicting Values to Counter-Publics Social Media and the Shaping of Collective Emotion Plurality of Reactions and Conflicts of Values Attacks and Plots: A Crisis of Rationality? Conclusion References 6 In the Schools: Bringing Pupils into the National Community of Mourning The Ritual of the Minute’s Silence in Schools: A Long History January 2015: The Preparation for the Minute’s Silence After the Charlie Hebdo Attacks January 2015: The Minute’s Silence as a Subject of Disagreement After 13 November 2015: An Educational Community United in Mourning The Murder of Samuel Paty: When Teachers Become Targets for Terrorists References 7 French Muslims: A Silent Community? Tribute, Voice and Loyalty: Reassuring the National Community Being ‘Charlie’ in One’s Own Way A Reinvention of Republican and Religious Rituals Conclusion References 8 At the Upper Echelons of the State: Symbols to Build National Unity Following Opinion by Guiding It Communication and Political Action Rallying the People with Symbols The Borders of National Unity Conclusion References 9 In People’s Minds: An Authoritarian Dynamic or the Spread of Tolerance? Values Are Changing... The Lessons of Opinion Conclusion References 10 Social Sciences in a Time of Terror ‘Sociological Excuses’: An Emblematic Post-Attacks Controversy The Burkini Affair: A Typical Case of ‘moral Panic’ For a Popular Culture in the Social Sciences References References Index "France has been the target of more terrorist attacks than any other Western country. In this major contribution to the burgeoning new field of 'terrorism studies', these attacks are subjected to intense social scientific analysis." - Jolyon Howorth, Harvard University, USA "This timely and important volume presents a compelling analysis of terrorism's impacts and the responses needed to counteract these effects." - Bruce Hoffman, Georgetown University, USA "Taking a very original perspective, this precious collection investigates the learning and healing processes that followed the Charlie Hebdo's attacks." - Donatella della Porta, Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy "This fine, wide-ranging collection on the 2015 Paris attacks takes stock of what we know while charting future directions of research." - Stéphane Gerson, New York University, USA "By bringing together perspectives from political science, sociology, psychology, and media studies, the editors produce the most complete treatment of a society's reaction to these horrific events that I have seen." - Marc J. Hetherington, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, USA From Charlie Hebdo to the Bataclan, the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Paris in 2015 shocked France and the world. This book offers a unique interdisciplinary approach on the complex responses of French society to these events: from the individual level (survivors of the Bataclan attack, emotional citizens paying homage to the victims, French Muslims) to the meso level of civic association and web communities, and the macro level of the State and public opinion. Florence Faucher is Professor of Political Science at Sciences Po, Paris, France and Associate Fellow at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, UK. Gérôme Truc is Research Fellow in Sociology at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), France. He is the author of Shell Shocked: The Social Response to Terrorist Attacks (2018) From Charlie Hebdo to the Bataclan, the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Paris in 2015 shocked France and the world. This book offers a unique interdisciplinary approach on the complex responses of French society to these events: from the individual level (survivors of the Bataclan attack, emotional citizens paying homage to the victims, French Muslims) to the meso level of civic association and web communities, and the macro level of the State and public opinion. Florence Faucher is Professor of Political Science at Sciences Po, Paris, France and Associate Fellow at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, UK. Gerome Truc is Research Fellow in Sociology at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), France. He is the author of Shell Shocked: The Social Response to Terrorist Attacks (2018)