While the red Phryge is endearing, the symbol’s fraught global history challenges the narrative of freedom and unity that the Olympics, and its French hosts in particular, want to tell.
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Articles on Laïcité
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Laïcité, which historically upheld individual freedom, denies minority rights today, as seen in the ban on French athletes wearing hijabs at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Some of the measures the French government has taken to fight radicalization can do the opposite, three social scientists argue.
On several counts, England is now on its way to becoming a secularist society. Nevertheless, there remain cultural differences that prevent it from embracing the French principle of “laïcité”.
Catholicism, ‘Frenchness’ and secularism are often conflated in French culture, a scholar writes, while non-Christian traditions are viewed with suspicion.
Saying the state upholds universal principles does not act as a safeguard against institutional discrimination and racism.
Liberal schools of thought largely inform how Muslims are viewed across Europe, research finds.
Why are Emmanuel Macron’s reform plans so controversial and why are people protesting about freedom after another spate of violent attacks?
Macron wants to ‘build an Islam in France that can be compatible with the Enlightenment.’ But that goal assumes France is compatible with Islam, says a Muslim scholar of religion and politics.
The horrific death of Samuel Paty, a history and geography teacher, highlights the importance of the work of educators who are, more than ever, on the front lines of the fight for freedom of expression.
Neither French nor American, Senegalese secularism stands midway between these two models
Respecting religious freedom not only protects the rights of individuals, it safeguards the integrity and accountability of democratic governments.
With tensions already high, telling Muslim women not to dress a certain way at the beach will only make things worse.
Top contributors
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Anthropologist & Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing Communication, Emerson College
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Emeritus Professor of French in Modern Languages and Linguistics, University of Southampton
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Professor Emeritus for Public Ethics and Fellow at the Centre for Public Ethics, Martin Luther University College, Wilfrid Laurier University
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Professor in French and European Politics, UCL
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Professeure, Aix-Marseille Université (AMU)
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Docteure en Science politique - Chercheure associée au Laboratoire interdisciplinaire de Polytechnique (LinX), École polytechnique
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Assistant Professor of European Studies, University of Florida
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Charles Hadji is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professeur honoraire (Sciences de l’éducation), Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)
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Professor of Political Science, Director of Center for Islamic & Arabic Studies, San Diego State University
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Sociologue, Aix-Marseille Université (AMU)
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Lecturer in French Studies and Comparative Literature, University of Bristol
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Assistant Professor of History, Department of Humanities, MacEwan University
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Maître de conférences en sciences sociales, Université Gaston Berger
