Muslim and Catholic Experiences of National Belonging in France

Rethinking Boundaries, Inequities, and Faith in the Republic

Carol A. Ferrara

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2024
• ISBN:
  9781350380462
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

How do experiences of national identity and belonging differ for French Muslims and Catholics respectively? What can these differences tell us about the causes and dynamics of minority marginalization in plural secular societies? To address these questions, Carol Ferrara draws upon extensive ethnographic fieldwork across France within spaces of religious education and interfaith dialogue, illustrating the inequities between Muslim and Catholic citizens in opportunities for national belonging, political and civic engagement, and institution-building. This reexamination of Muslim exclusion against the backdrop of Catholic inclusion calls into question popular explanations for minority marginalization – especially those that blame non-adherence to French Republican principles or the exclusionary power of secular discourse. Instead, Ferrara argues that the boundaries of French belonging are policed by francité -a tacit national imaginary ideal-type that draws upon and reproduces national cognitive biases and undermines the French republican values of secularism, equality, liberty, and fraternity. Given the central role of francité in the politics of belonging, Ferrara suggests that paths toward greater pluralism in France and beyond lie in the reframing of national identity narratives and reimagining the inclusive potential of secular democratic values.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title Page
• Dedication
• Title Page
• Series Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: Frenchness and Francité: National Imaginaries and Lived Realities in Contemporary France
• Chapter 1 Imbricated Histories of (Non)Belonging: Christendom, Colonialism, and the Construction of Modern Francité
• Chapter 2 All Roads Lead to Rome?: Interfaith Initiatives in Secular France
• Chapter 3 Resilience Despite Division: Negotiating French Catholic Identity, Modernity, and Plurality
• Chapter 4 Finding the Straight Path: Negotiating Plurality Within and Around French Islam
• Chapter 5 Transmitting Faith in the Republic: Learning to Be French in Muslim Schools
• Chapter 6 Quintessentially Catholic … and French: Majoritarianism and the Traditionalist French Catholic Minority
• Conclusion: Rethinking Narratives of National Belonging: Diversity, Inclusion, and Reframing Francité in the National Imaginary
• Notes
• References
• Index
• Copyright Page