Questioning French Secularism: Gender Politics and Islam in a Parisian Suburb (Contemporary Anthropology of Religion)

"Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork, this book examines how contemporary secularism in France is positioned as a guarantor of Muslim women's rights. Selby analyzes public discourses on secularism in France to consider how Islam becomes subsumed under the fetishized headscarf, how women's bodies come to represent collective identities, and how the activism and engagement of suburban Muslim women with secular politics is ignored"-- "Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in a Parisian suburb, this book examines how contemporary secularism in France is positioned as a guarantor of Muslim women¹s rights. Jennifer Selby argues that the complex fetishization of headscarves in public, governmental and feminist French discourses positions publicly-visible religious women in ways that obscure their engagement with laïcité (French secularism )."-- Machine generated contents note: I. SETTING THE SCENE: PLACE AND METHOD * Gender Politics and Religion in Contemporary France * Fieldwork Context: Working and Living in Petit Nanterre * Methodological Considerations: On Writing about Muslim Women * II. "HARDLY PARADISE": FROM SHANTYTOWN TO HOUSING PROJECT* Migration to the Banlieues of Paris * Religious Geography * Gender Politics and Sexual Segregation* Divisions * Community-Based Organizations * 2005 Suburban Riots * III. THE SHIFTING BOUNDARIES OF LAICITE* Secularism: General Remarks * Secularism: The French Case * Commissioned Secularism in Contemporary France * Secularism: The Pork Affair in Petit Nanterre * IV. FEMINISM, FEMININITY, AND LAICITE* Femmes Solidaires ("Women in Solidarity") * French Femininity: Stereotypes * Gossip * V. MARRIAGE-PARTNER PREFERENCE AND MIGRATION TO PETIT NANTERRE * Journeys to Petit Nanterre * Implications for 'Disfavored' Women * Second-Generation Women Respond * Implications * VI. ON BEING A VISIBLY RELIGIOUS WOMAN IN FRANCE * Continued French Colonialism? * Feminist Critiques and Practicing Religious Women * General Conclusion. "Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork, this book examines how contemporary secularism in France is positioned as a guarantor of Muslim women's rights. Selby analyzes public discourses on secularism in France to consider how Islam becomes subsumed under the fetishized headscarf, how women's bodies come to represent collective identities, and how the activism and engagement of suburban Muslim women with secular politics is ignored"-- "Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in a Parisian suburb, this book examines how contemporary secularism in France is positioned as a guarantor of Muslim women1s rights. Jennifer Selby argues that the complex fetishization of headscarves in public, governmental and feminist French discourses positions publicly-visible religious women in ways that obscure their engagement with laïcité (French secularism )."-- Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Chapter 1 Setting the Scene: Place and Method 15 Chapter 2 “Hardly Paradise”: From Shantytown to Housing Projects 42 Chapter 3 The Shifting Boundaries of Laïcité 84 Chapter 4 Feminism, Femininity, and Laïcité 111 Chapter 5 Marriage Partner Preference 146 Chapter 6 On Being a Visibly Religious Muslim Woman: Piety and Polity in France 179 Appendix 189 Notes 190 Bibliography 212 Index 244 "Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork, this book examines how contemporary secularism in France is positioned as a guarantor of Muslim women's rights. Selby analyzes public discourses on secularism in France to consider how Islam becomes subsumed under the fetishized headscarf, how women's bodies come to represent collective identities, and how the activism and engagement of suburban Muslim women with secular politics is ignored"--Provided by publisher "Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in a Parisian suburb, this book examines how contemporary secularism in France is positioned as a guarantor of Muslim women1s rights. Jennifer Selby argues that the complex fetishization of headscarves in public, governmental and feminist French discourses positions publicly-visible religious women in ways that obscure their engagement with laïcité (French secularism)."--Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Setting the Scene: Place and Method....Pages 1-27 “Hardly Paradise”: From Shantytown to Housing Projects....Pages 29-70 The Shifting Boundaries of Laïcité ....Pages 71-97 Feminism, Femininity, and Laïcité ....Pages 99-133 Marriage Partner Preference....Pages 135-167 On Being a Visibly Religious Muslim Woman: Piety and Polity in France....Pages 169-178 Back Matter....Pages 179-241 Annotation 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) 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 zfetishizationy of headscarves in public, governmental, and feminist French discourse positions publicly-visible Muslim women in ways that obscure their engagement with laïcité (French secularism) 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 laicite (French secularism).