A French Approach to Minority Islam? A Study in Normative Confusion

Abstract

In this paper, the author argues (1) that the normative model of the "Republican school" the school agents adhere to is not opposed to the expression of social or religious memberships: rather, it ignores them.(2) That this model of school is currently being deeply undermined by the visibility of the "second generation" of postcolonial immigrants. (3) That this generates various kinds of reactions in the school space: first, reactions from Muslim students themselves and secondly, erratic reactions from teachers and other school personal who try to manage issues they feel important, without having been trained at all to do so.Résumé Dans son article, l'auteure argumente en quatre temps. (1) Le modèle normatif d' «école républicaine » auquel adhèrent les agents scolaires ne s'oppose pas à l'expression des appartenances sociales ou religieuses, il les ignore plutôt. (2) Or, ce modèle de l'école est aujourd'hui profondément miné en France par la visibilité de la « seconde génération » d'immigrés postcoloniaux. (3) Cela suscite diverses sortes de réactions dans l'espace scolaire, d'abord de la part des élèves euxmêmes : la littérature commence à les décrire. (4) En second lieu de la part des personnels, amenés à gérer les problèmes dans l'improvisation, sans aucune formation.

Is the Decline of European Multiculturalism the Beginning of a More Secular Europe?

“…The main problem of French schools is that they take insufficient account of all the many differences with respect to knowledge, whatever their socio-cultural, psychological or physical origins (Zay, 2012a). Like me, in an article that I will quote in the following section, Lorcerie (2010) explains that the French Republican school model that is respected by most teachers, inspectors and other school agents, parents, and philosophers is impersonal and based on teaching and not on learning.…”

“…In France, no religion has a peculiar status and religion is a private affair, despite the fact that most French people are Catholics and that France has the largest population of Muslims in Europe -about 5 million (i.e. one-third of Muslims in Europe; Joppke, 2009;Lorcerie, 2010) live in France. They represent 8% of the French population as a whole, and far more in the youth segment (Lorcerie, 2010).…”

“…one-third of Muslims in Europe; Joppke, 2009;Lorcerie, 2010) live in France. They represent 8% of the French population as a whole, and far more in the youth segment (Lorcerie, 2010). Islam and secularism living together in the same territory raise issues too.…”