Can French Republicanism be Hospitable to Ethnic Difference?

      In Cécile Laborde’s article titled “The Culture(s) of the Republic,” the author reflects upon the relationship between nationalism and multiculturalism in French Republican Thought. Through the four Republican ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité and laïcité, Laborde shows how liberalism’s moral universalism is opposed to multiculturalism (Laborde, 716). According to the author, “liberty for Republicans implies rational self-determination through the exercise of individual autonomy” (Laborde, 718). From this perspective, she addresses the issue of one way accommodation in state schools where the cultural and linguistic assimilation of bicultural students and their families is made at the expense of losing their ethnic, social and cultural identities.                                                          

     

      A current example of how the French Republic attempts to establish a secular state is through the controversial bill before the French parliament to ban all conspicuous religious symbols from public institutions in France. According to this bill, the display of all religious symbols is to be prohibited from the public sphere. (Ludford, 2010). However, the issue has been focused on the ban of Islamic headscarves as opposed to all religious symbols, including those belonging to the dominant Christian religion. Interestingly, this bill is closely related to Laborde’s reference to culture-blind universalism “as an ideological mystification that perpetuates existing structures of domination” (Laborde, 721). The contentious issue of France’s attempt to ban headscarves concentrates on, and has been consumed by the banning of headscarves and Islamic symbols because crosses and cathedrals are part of the dominant culture of France. From this view, the bill is hypocritical because Islam will be always be regarded as incompatible with the values of the dominant religion, class, gender and culture of France (Laborde, 721).

Want to learn more about society's fascination with head gear? If so, then tune into this skit by late comedian George Carlin. Read more>> 

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