Introduction Religion in France: Belief,identity and laïcité

The received wisdom used to be that France is an increasingly secular country in which religion is at best a part of cultural heritage and at worst an anachronism. But over the last 30 years religious issues have acquired increasing prominence, particularly in response to the role of Islam within France. The emergence of new Islamic identities has posed challenges, which have frequently been met by reworking the historical principle of laïcité, enshrined in the 1905 Act of Separation of Church and State, and by the search for new ways of accommodating diversity in French society (‘vivre ensemble’). The urgency of these tasks has been emphasised by the series of violent episodes that began with the shootings in Paris in January 2015, and by the social tensions that have echoed around Europe.

The articles in this special number provide several different perspectives on religion in France, focusing on social and cultural issues of secularity and identity, but also reaching into philosophical argument and literary representation. The first group addresses the relationship between France and Islam. Melissa Byrnes looks back to the 1950s, when representatives of the state participated in celebrations of Ramadan in Metropolitan France, showing a surprising capacity for pragmatism in matters of laïcité. Amina Easat-Daas reports on a survey of Muslim women that sought to gauge their view of ‘European Islam’, concluding that they feel little attachment to the idea, but may well embody it in their practice. Séverine Rebourcet looks at the representations of France and Islam in the work of the poet and writer Abd Al Malik, who tries to promote religious practices that embrace deep French values. David Spieser-Landes examines the contentious novel Soumission by Michel Houellebecq and argues that it is wrongly understood as an example of Islamophobia. He suggests that a close reading reveals it to be a meditation on the void at the heart of France’s religious crisis.

Turning to the Jewish community, Anne Freadman examines the transformation of assimilated Jews under Vichy and the Occupation. Initially seeing themselves as French and israélite, they discovered a new Jewish identity when they were plunged into the same forms of oppression as Jewish immigrants. Colin Nettelbeck explores the combination of Jewish heritage and Catholic engagement presented in two films on the work of Cardinal Aron Jean-Marie Lustiger, who was Archbishop of Paris for over 20 years. Brian Sudlow then presents fresh perspectives on Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the Society of St Pius X. He argues that current historiography is too Franco-centric and especially neglects the importance of Lefebvre’s experience as a missionary in Africa.

Enda McCaffrey engages in a close analysis of the work of Alain Badiou and Jean-François Lyotard, who both adopt ‘anti-philosophical’ approaches to escape from historicism and sophistry. He suggests that they reposition belief as an act that forgoes the ideology of cultural relativism for the purity of thought. Michael Kelly examines the changing relationship between atheism and laïcité, and shows that recent secular thinkers have offered an alternative ethical position and even an alternative spirituality. Murat Akan concludes the number by returning to the Third Republic. He shows that the concept of diversité was part of the discussions on laïcité, and that French views on the issue may well have regressed.

These articles range across a number of disciplinary approaches from cultural history to literary and philosophical analysis. Each of them engages with a very specific aspect of the field of religion in France. What they share is a concern to show how their subject illuminates issues of belief, identity and laïcité that have come to occupy such a key role in the search for ways of living together.