Spatialities of the Secular

Hancock, Claire

doi:10.1177/1350506808091502

Cited by 30 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Morocco is imaginatively included in that Muslim North African/Middle Eastern region that is often framed as being in tension on moral/cultural grounds with its western counterpart. Such global discourse is reflected in the ways Muslim communities in Western Europe are portrayed, in a mirroring of global discourses of civilisational clash at different scales (Hancock, 2008(Hancock, , 2017Stehle, 2006). Assumption of different attitudes towards sexual diversity and gender equality are fundamental elements of civilisational clash discourses (Abu-Lughod, 2002;Bracke, 2012;Razack, 2004), as Western civilisation, modernity, and the support of LGBTQ rights are conflated in a discourse that imagines and constructs Muslim populations as stuck in a pre-modern homo/bi/transphobic space-time (Rahman, 2014).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

In, out, or somewhere else entirely: Going beyond binary constructions of the closet in the lives of LGBTQ people from a Muslim background living in Brussels

Boussalem

2020

Trans Inst British Geog

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This paper analyses and critically discusses experiences and narratives of sexuality disclosure and concealment of LGBTQ people from a Muslim background living in Brussels. It does so by presenting data collected over a year of ethnographic research in the city. The "closet/coming out" metaphor is central in western discourses around LGBTQ identities and sexualities, and its wide circulation resulted in its conflations with a number of different meanings. Rather than simply being a descriptive metaphor, it comes to represent a linear, tautological, and normative path of LGBTQ liberation, leading the LGBTQ subject from an "in" of darkness and secrecy to an "out" of transparency and authenticity. Queer of colour scholars have noted how the metaphor, and the prescriptive path it traces, often fails to capture and understand the experiences of racialised LGBTQ people. Elaborating on queer of colour critiques to the normativity charted by coming out discourses, this paper argues for the unpacking and deconstruction of the binary and linear trajectory from "in" to "out" of the closet to understand the experiences of LGBTQ people from a Muslim background. In particular, it argues for a focus on silence as a productive site, on non-disclosure of sexuality as a functional strategy, and on the ways in which knowledge about sexualities can often circulate in tacit ways. As a result, the rigidity of the closet is disrupted, and its borders emerge as porous and flexible in the experiences of LGBTQ people from a Muslim background.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

In, out, or somewhere else entirely: Going beyond binary constructions of the closet in the lives of LGBTQ people from a Muslim background living in Brussels

Boussalem

2020

Trans Inst British Geog

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“…This echoes criticisms about the emphasis placed on uniformity by laïcité and the republican framework in which it is embedded (e.g. Hancock 2008). Scholars have also problematized the republican framework as an instance of color-blindness (Jugé and Perez 2006).…”

Section: Culture As Legitimation Strategymentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Catholicism, Lutheranism, Calvinism, and Judaism) (Saunders 2009). Scholars argue that such inconsistency, coupled with French society being implicitly shaped by Christian traditions, create significant issues for religious minorities that can feel and be perceived at odds with a secular and Christian majority (Sommier 2017a;Auslander 2000;Hancock 2008). Baubérot (2007) develops this argument further as he draws attention to the relation between the meanings ascribed to laïcité and society's fears and national representations.…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Culture’ as a discursive resource in newspaper articles from Le Monde about secularism: constructing ‘us’ through strategic oppositions with religion

Sommier

2018

Journal of Multicultural Discourses

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Building on research highlighting the complex webs of relations between secularism, culture, and religion, this study investigates how the concept of culture was utilized in discourses of laïcité from the newspaper le Monde. Articles (N = 76) published between 2011 and 2014 were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results revealed the agency associated with the use of culture as it was strategicallyrather than systematicallyused in opposition to religion. Overall, cultureand the practices it definedtended to be represented as normal and invisible. On the other hand, religion tended to be constructed as a disruption to secularism and the corresponding cultural reality. The findings therefore suggested culture could be strategically used to validate and regulate specific practices as well as representations of the imagined community. This study complements previous research on discourses of secularism by drawing attention to the strategic divisions between culture and religion, and their implications. The findings draw attention to the construction of a secular imagined community because of the punctual and strategic use of culture and religion as proxies for 'us' and 'them'. Thus, the findings have practical implications as regards religious minorities' identification with and belonging to the nation.

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“…For example, there are more pluralist conceptions of secularism practiced by the United States and India, which recognize a multiplicity of religious diversity in its citizenry (Calhoun 2010). On the other hand, France's conception of laïcité, and the modern republic of Turkey's laiklik, practices a firm form of secularism, that historically inhibits religious expression in public spaces, such as restricting women who wear hijab from public schools (Calhoun 2010;Hancock 2008;Somer 2013). Secularism must be understood as a form of political and cultural commitments that are dynamic, and open to negotiation and friction within a society.…”

Section: What Is Secularism?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Disenchantment, Buffering, and Spiritual Reductionism: A Pedagogy of Secularism for Counseling and Psychotherapy

et al. 2021

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The various mental health disciplines (e.g., counseling, psychology, social work) all mandate competence in working with clients from diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds. However, there is growing evidence that practitioners feel ill-equipped to meet the needs of their religiously- and spiritually-diverse clients. Furthermore, formal education on religion and spirituality remains optional within coursework. Research on religion and spirituality is also noted for its reductionism to observable outcomes, leaving much of its nuance uncovered. This paper will utilize philosophies of secularism and explore the concepts of disenchantment, buffering, and coercion, to help illuminate why our contemporary society and our disciplines struggle with this incongruence between stated values and implementation. Case vignettes and recommendations will be provided to help practitioners and educators.

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Spatialities of the Secular

Cited by 30 publications

References 13 publications

In, out, or somewhere else entirely: Going beyond binary constructions of the closet in the lives of LGBTQ people from a Muslim background living in Brussels

In, out, or somewhere else entirely: Going beyond binary constructions of the closet in the lives of LGBTQ people from a Muslim background living in Brussels

‘Culture’ as a discursive resource in newspaper articles from Le Monde about secularism: constructing ‘us’ through strategic oppositions with religion

Disenchantment, Buffering, and Spiritual Reductionism: A Pedagogy of Secularism for Counseling and Psychotherapy

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