Why the French Don't Like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space

byJohn R. Bowen 3.64 of 5 stars3.64 rating details 55 ratings 11 reviews The French govern ent!s "##4 decision to ban $sla ic headscarves and other religio%s signs fro &%blic schools &%''led any observers( both beca%se it see ed to infringe needlessly on religio%s freedo ( and beca%se it was hailed by any in France as an answer to a s%r&risingly wide range of social ills( fro violence against fe ales in &oor s%b%rbs to anti)*e itis . +,hy the French -on!t .i/e 0eadscarves+ e1&lains why headscarves on schoolgirls ca%sed s%ch a f%ror( and why the f%ror yielded this law. 2a/ing sense of the dra atic debate fro his &ers&ective as an 3 erican anthro&ologist in France at the ti e( John Bowen writes abo%t everyday life and &%blic events while also &resenting interviews with officials and intellect%als( and analy'ing French television &rogra s and other edia. Bowen arg%es that the foc%s on headscarves ca e fro a cent%ry)old sensitivity to the &%blic &resence of religion in schools( feared lin/s between &%blic e1&ressions of $sla ic identity and radical $sla ( and a edia)driven fren'y that b%ilt s%&&ort for a headscarf ban d%ring "##3)"##4. 3ltho%gh the defense of +laicite+ 4sec%larity5 was cited as the law!s a6or 6%stification( &oliticians( intellect%als( and the edia lin/ed the scarves to ore concrete social an1ieties))abo%t +co %nalis (+ &olitical $sla ( and violence toward wo en. ,ritten in engaging( 6argon)free &rose( +,hy the French -on!t .i/e 0eadscarves+ is the first co &rehensive and ob6ective analysis of this s%b6ect( in any lang%age( and it s&ea/s to tensions between assi ilation and diversity that e1tend well beyond France!s borders.4less5 0ardcover( "7# &ages 8%blished *e&te ber "5th "##6 by 8rinceton 9niversity 8ress ore details...