Few words in contemporary French politics hold the same political and symbolic weight that banlieue does. Translated to “suburb” in English, the term has become one of the most politically charged concepts in modern French vocabulary. Characterized by vast concrete housing projects, towering apartment blocks, and isolated urban planning, the French banlieues are presented in […]
Tag: France
Under the Veil of Laïcité
Nadia was just a teenager when she was suspended from her secondary school. In the eyes of the law, she was guilty of an affront to public order. Her disruption? Nadia wore a hijab. Nadia is the pseudonym used to protect the identity of one of the many Muslim-identifying schoolgirls interviewed in a study by […]
The Cultural Legacy of the “Great Replacement” Theory
“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…” or so the story goes. Christopher Columbus discovered a new continent, invited the locals to the first Thanksgiving, and oversaw the creation of a new world – one with star-spangled freedom at its heart. God bless America, right? As we know today, this tale is only plausible if […]
Behind the Facade of French Colorblindness
If you’ve ever taken a train through the less glamorous fringes of Paris, you’ve seen another side of the city, one that is a far departure from Hollywood fantasies. There’s a palpable gulf. Before reaching the glamorous eighth arrondissement and scenes that look straight out of Emily in Paris, one must traverse what the French […]
How the French Left Shot Itself in the Foot
Just a few months ago, leftists and liberals worldwide braced for a grim future. Right-wing parties and candidates across Europe—boasting a common catalog of xenophobia, Euroscepticism, and Islamophobia—were gaining traction. In elections for the European Parliament, these parties rattled long-standing balances. The once-taboo, far-right National Rally (RN) in France trounced President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition, […]
France Constitutionally Protects Abortion in Monumental Vote by Legislators
In an era where reproductive rights are a hot-button issue in many countries, France has managed to explicitly codify abortion within its constitution—the most extensive protection of abortion and assertion of reproductive rights a nation has enacted in history. In response to an amalgamation of tension elsewhere over abortion, as well as persistent activism within […]
The Dangers of Politicizing Western Humanitarian Aid
At the dawn of the 20th century, failing dictatorships and crumbling empires left millions of people vulnerable to poverty, hunger, war, and extermination. The “free” world, with all its graciousness, has aided tens of nations to alleviate their suffering. Statistically, numerous humanitarian assistance projects, which the Western bloc primarily manages and funds, have shaped the […]
How Government Inaction Threatens Migrants’ Lives in a French Refugee Camp
Every year in northern France, between the popular tourist venues of the Opal Coast and the cold Flemish beaches at the border with Belgium, thousands of people hide behind dunes and between bushes waiting for the sun to set. When the sky is dark and the air still, they drag on the shore precarious embarkations—commonly […]
France’s Ban on Religious Symbols Violates Free Expression
France, a nation with a history entangled with the church and fraught with religious conflict, has become staunchly secularist in modern politics, prompting a decades-long political controversy over the existence of Islamic symbols in public schools. On September 4, 67 girls were sent home from French public schools after refusing to remove their abayas, a […]
How Gabon’s Coup Marks the End of an Era for France
On August 30, shortly after President Ali Bongo was reelected for his third term, a group of Gabonese military officers from the presidential unit seized Bongo, his son, and six other individuals and held them prisoner in his palace. The instigators of the coup justified this abduction on account of Bongo and his accomplices allegedly […]