MillerComm Lecture: Islam in France: Minority Religion, Laïcité, and the Politics of Muslim Identity

This lecture treats Islam in France as a case study in the state management of minority religion in a secular republic. Three interrelated dimensions structure the discussion. First, French laïcité is examined as a singular and frequently misunderstood normative framework, whose logic and historical genealogy differ substantially from American models of church-state separation. Second, it addresses the question of radicalization and deradicalization, drawing on fieldwork conducted in French prison settings, including units specifically dedicated to radicalized inmates (Quartiers de Prise en Charge de la Radicalisation). Third, the lecture engages with contemporary debates on Muslim identity in a postcolonial context, and in particular the question of religious authority: who speaks for Islam in France, and on what grounds? Together, these three dimensions illuminate the specific tensions that shape the lives of Muslim communities in contemporary Western Europe.