Constructing Muslims in France

Constructing Muslims in France Constructing Muslims in France DISCOURSE, PUBLIC IDENTITY, AND THE POLITICS OF CITIZENSHIP Jennifer Fredette TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS PHILADELPHIA TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 www.temple.edu/tempress Copyright © 2014 by Temple University All rights reserved Published 2014 Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Fredette, Jennifer. Constructing Muslims in France : discourse, public identity, and the politics of citizenship / Jennifer Fredette. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4399-1028-3 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4399-1029-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4399-1030-6 (e-book) . 1 Muslims—France—Social conditions. 2. Muslims— France—Ethnic identity. 3. France—Ethnic relations. I. Title. DC34.5.M87F74 2014 305.6'970944—dc23 2013014468 The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48- 1992 Printed in the United States of America 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1 To Matthew, my favorite Contents Acknowledgments ix Abbreviations xiii 1 Introduction: Why Do We Ask Whether Muslims Can Be French? 1 2 Elusive Citizenship: The Consequences of an Undesirable Public Identity 23 3 Claiming Membership: French Muslim Identities, Political Goals, and Repertoires of Contention 47 4 Education: The (Undelivered?) Promise of Republican Equality 78 5 Employment: The Muslim Experience in (and out of) the Workplace 103 6 Housing: The Banlieues as a Geographic and Socially Constructed Place 126 7 The Contentious Concept of Frenchness: French Muslims Embracing, Reimagining, but Not Rejecting the Republican Triad 151 Appendix: Sample Questionnaire 175 Notes 183 References 193 Index 207 Acknowledgments am indebted to the Political Science Department faculty at the University of Washington (UW) who offered patient, fair, and tireless readings of my work. I This especially includes Rachel Cichowski, Christine Di Stefano, and Naomi Murakawa. Their advice about writing and about political science as a profession has been invaluable. Michael McCann was the primary intellectual force behind my graduate training. He introduced me to the field of law and society, where I found an academic “home” for the way I approach research questions and think about the world. Michael encouraged me to start from observation rather than theory and had more confidence in me than I did as I departed for my initial fieldwork (which proved infectious and helpful). Even though Seattle is now quickly becoming a lovely, damp memory, Michael continues to make time for my questions, despite being the busiest person I know. Uncannily, he somehow always knows exactly how to fix whatever research problem I have. Thanks also go to my colleagues in the Political Science Department at the State University of New York (SUNY), Albany, who offered support as I fin- ished the manuscript for this book. I deeply appreciate how the theorists Peter Breiner, Torrey Shanks, and Mort Schoolman embraced me as a fellow traveler. They have made my thinking sharper, and I will never tire of going to them for thoughtful reflections on multiculturalism, postcolonialism, and the public/ private divide. Victor Asal and Sally Friedman were always there to encourage me, and David Rousseau answered difficult career questions. Eloise and Jean- François Brière shared with me their time and their expertise on France even while beset with the now infamous “program deactivation.” Richard Fogarty encouraged me to ground my thinking about France and difference in a more x / Acknowledgments historical perspective and provided much appreciated camaraderie as a fellow Francophile. I am uncertain how I would have navigated SUNY Albany, or up- state New York, if it had not been for Holly Jarman. Her thoughtful advice and skill as a careful listener helped me overcome many bouts of writer’s block, and she always came around for tea at the precise moment when her presence was most needed. Scott Greer, as an honorary Albanian during my tenure there, provided an endless stream of good books, good ideas, and interesting insights into just about anything under the sun. I am fortunate to have landed among some excellent and generous public law scholars, as well. Dagmar Soennecken, Lisa Vanhala, Anna- Maria Mar- shall, Lynn Jones, Katharina Heyer, and Scott Barclay have been supportive figures (among many others) at the Law and Society Association for years. Udi Sommer always appreciates diverse approaches to research. And Julie Novkov helped me the most in my transition from graduate student to professor. I am deeply grateful for her advice on my research, on the profession, and on teaching. She has helped me weather many a job market storm. I admire the conscientiousness she brings to all aspects of academe, and I am honored and delighted to call her a colleague. Sylvain Brouard of Sciences Po Bordeaux was instrumental in making my fieldwork happen. He helped me secure a visiting research position at Bordeaux and has been an invaluable guide into the world of French politics and society. His research about Muslims in France is particularly important for its efforts to undercut stereotypes about this diverse community, and I have benefited greatly from his insight. Sylvain went out of his way to make me feel completely at home in France, and I thank him and his lovely wife, Christelle (and Noah, Titoine, and Solveg), for their friendship. I hope I can return the favor one day. Vincent Tiberj has been an excellent resource on the elite politics sur- rounding Muslims in France, for which I am truly grateful. Yasmine Bouagga is a wonderful conversationalist, who always draws my attention to subtle but important moments in French politics that I might have missed. Aude Lejeune, Vincent- Arnaud Chappe, and Sébastien Chauvin have graciously shared important insights with me about how the French “do” social movements. Laurent Mucchielli and Françoise Lorcerie kindly welcomed me when I went to Aix for the first time during a 2012 trip to speak to lawyers who had defended the rights of women who had been fined for wearing the burqa. My colleagues at North Central College have been extraordinarily supportive as I made the transition to a liberal arts school while finishing this book. It is a delight to share the White House with Stephen Caliendo, Bill Muck, Suzanne Chod, and Tim Morris. I would be remiss if I did not thank my UW comrades Ceren Belge, Iza Hussin, Betsy Cooper, Larry Cushnie, Tim Deak, Shauna Fisher, Amanda Ful- mer, Marcela Garcia- Castanon, Seth Greenfest, Brian Greenhill, Chris Heurlin, Heather Pool, Chris Roberts, Pam Stumpo, Sophia Wilson, and Matt Walton for their support and encouragement. They made my time in graduate school Acknowledgments / xi more bearable and far more intellectually fruitful than it would have been oth- erwise. I am grateful that I got to spend more time with Scott Lemieux while living in Albany. He keeps me grounded in American constitutional law when my research takes me to other places (and he and his wife, Emily, know all the best restaurants). Sarah and James Terry kept me supplied with friendship, fine coffee, and all the best tidbits from medieval French and American modernist literature. Special thanks go to Allison Rank, a close friend and skilled task- master who has the ability to read my mind even (perhaps especially) when I cannot. The book you hold in your hands largely owes its existence to the good people at Temple University Press. Joan Vidal and Gary Kramer walked me through various aspects of the publication process and tirelessly answered all my questions; they made it all seem so easy. Lynne Frost made sure I always had reasonable deadlines and provided exceptionally detail-oriented copyediting and masterful image reproduction (and good humor). Sue Deeks worked copyediting magic on the English and occasionally French text. And, of course, my heartfelt thanks go to Alex Holzman, who saw promise in the manuscript early on and supported the project from start to finish. Alex also provided two of the most insightful and constructive anonymous reviewers anyone could ever hope for (to whom I am also deeply grateful). I could not have asked for a more professional, straightforward, fuss-free publishing experience. On a more personal note, I thank my family for their support and love. Gloria Fredette, the first female political science major at her university, introduced me to politics, and Richard Fredette taught me that every problem can be solved with enough patience and good humor. My brothers, Michael and James, still know how to make me snort with laughter at incomprehensible jokes from our childhood. My husband, Matthew Gehrett, has tolerated my antics for twelve years now, including my habit of skipping out on him to go to France every so often. It is wonderful to be loved unconditionally by someone who has seen you buried in a pile of books from your toes to your nose. I am so fortunate to share my life with him. Portions of this book are modified versions of material previously published as Jennifer Fredette, “Social Movements and the State’s Construction of Identity: The Case of Muslims in France,” Social Movements/Legal Possibilities, edited by Austin Sarat, a special issue of Studies in Law, Politics, and Society 54 (3): 45–75. I thank Emerald Group Publishing for allowing me to reproduce that information here. Finally, I thank the interviewees, who must remain anonymous. There would be no book without them. These people met with me on their own time and generously shared windows into a world that was not my own. They trusted me with funny and frustrating and sad stories, and I hope that I have done them justice here.

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