In 2004 France banned Muslim women from wearing veils in school. In 2010 France passed legislation that banned the wearing of clothing in public that covered the face, mainly to target women who wore burqas. President Emmanuel Macron has stated that the hijab is not in accordance with French ideals. Islamophobia
in France takes many forms, both explicit and implicit, and often appears to be sanctioned by the governing bodies themselves. These cultural biases reveal how the Muslim population acts as a scapegoat for the problematic status of immigrants in France more generally.
Islamophobia in France is an English translation of Abdellali Hajjat and Marwan Mohammed's Islamophobie: Comment les e'lites franc¸aises fabriquent le "proble`me musulman." In this groundbreaking book, Hajjat and Mohammed argue that Islamophobia in France is not the result of individual prejudice or supposed Muslim cultural or racial deficiencies but rather arose out of structures of power and control already in place in France.
Hajjat and Mohammed analyze how French elites deploy Islamophobia as a state technology for contesting and controlling the presence of specific groups of postcolonial immigrants and their descendants in contemporary France. With a new introduction for U.S. readers, the authors unpack the data on Islamophobia in France and offer a portrait of how it functions in contemporary society.
"This brilliant text not only contributes to the sociology of Islam and the sociology of Islamophobia but also contributes to, and is an exemplar of, the sociology of knowledge."
Jean Beaman
"The scope of the study is breathtaking, as is its nuanced attention to particular events and controversies. . . . Islamophobia in France is an important contribution: comprehensive, engaging, and impressive in its erudition."
Paul A. Silverstein
"In this authoritative study, Abdellali Hajjat and Marwan Mohammed provide a comprehensive, historically informed and methodologically rich account of contemporary Islamophobia in France. Working through theory and practice, this timely contribution is of vital importance and will become a reference point for students and teachers alike."
