Muslim and Catholic Experiences of National Belonging in France
Carol Ferrara
Emerson College
Date:听Thursday, April 10, 2025
Time:听12 - 1pm
Location:听24 Quincy Road, Conference Room
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Muslim and Catholic Experiences of National Belonging in France听(Bloomsburg 2024)听juxtaposes experiences of national identity and belonging among French Muslims and Catholics respectively in order to examine the causes and dynamics of minority marginalization in plural secular societies. Drawing upon extensive ethnographic fieldwork across France within spaces of religious education and interfaith dialogue, the book illustrates the inequities between Muslim and Catholic citizens in opportunities for national belonging, political and civic engagement, and institution-building. This reexamination of Muslim exclusion against the backdrop of Catholic inclusion calls into question popular explanations for minority marginalization 鈥� especially those that blame non-adherence to French Republican principles or the exclusionary power of secular discourse. Instead, author Carol Ferrara argues that the boundaries of French belonging are policed by听蹿谤补苍肠颈迟茅听-a tacit national imaginary ideal-type that draws upon and reproduces national cognitive biases and undermines the French republican values of secularism, equality, liberty, and fraternity. Given the central role of 蹿谤补苍肠颈迟茅 in the politics of belonging, Ferrara suggests that paths toward greater pluralism in France and beyond lie in the reframing of national identity narratives and reimagining the inclusive potential of secular democratic values.
Carol Ferrara is an anthropologist and assistant professor in the Marketing Communication Department at Emerson College. Her research has focused on the intersection of religion, education, and national identity. She has published several articles and book chapters about religious education, private Muslim schooling, and secularism in France, most recently Muslim and Catholic Experiences of National Belonging in France with Bloomsbury Academic Press as part of the Islam in the Global West book series. Her new research project, 鈥淓thics and equitable education choices鈥� focuses on family expectations of education, information access, and improving equity in Boston's school choice system. Her courses in Marketing Communication encourage students to reimagine business-related processes, organization, composition, and structures to make marketing and businesses more socially and environmentally responsible. Carol holds a PhD in sociocultural anthropology from Boston University, a dual MA degree in Islam and Middle Eastern Studies and International Affairs from the American University of Paris, and an BSc in International Business from Rochester Institute of Technology. She lives in Dorchester with her husband and two sons.
Roger Cohen wrote an article for The New York Times titled, which discusses the rise of nationalism and growing anti-immigrant sentiment in France. He mentions that a growing number of French citizens no longer feel at home in their country, partially because of the presence of Muslim immigrants from Northern Africa who bring with them elements of their religion and culture. This sentiment is part of what led to the rise of the far-right movement in France. Cohen notes the shift in leaders鈥� immigration policies in the last decade and their embrace of 鈥渢ighter borders鈥� in order to maintain popular support. Interestingly, France recently passed legislation that removed certain deportation rights in the hope of quelling nationalism, but it had the opposite effect. Cohen argues that the issue in France is unique because of the strong sense of French identity that is at the core of the country鈥檚 national identity, and Muslim populations have 鈥渃hallenged鈥� that image. Another element is the high unemployment rate, for which some unjustly blame the Muslim population. The future of France鈥檚 political landscape is uncertain as anti-immigrant sentiment grows. At her luncheon, Dr. Carol Ferrera will discuss the intersection of French nationalism and the education system for Christian and Muslim communities.
On April 10, 2025, the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life hosted Dr. Carol Ferrara of Emerson University for the final luncheon colloquium of the semester, entitled, 鈥淢uslim and Catholic Experiences of National Belonging in France.鈥�
Ferrara started her presentation by giving an introduction to the French education system and the availability of government subsidies for religious education. While embracing secularism, the government does fund particular religious schools. Catholic schools are widely-funded throughout the country, but Ferrara noted that Muslim schools tend to be much more difficult to open and operate with government funding, as they have struggled to receive the same subsidies that their Christian counterparts received. In recent decades, many Muslim schools (which include some of the best schools in the country) have lost their government funding and have struggled to sustain their operations. While Muslim schools struggle to stay open, highly conservative Catholic schools (including those run by the Society of Saint Pius X, which has been officially condemned by the Vatican) thrive. She connected this to broader trends in France, which tends to see itself as a highly secular country. Nevertheless, the French national imaginary maintains a contradictory sense of its identity in Catholicism, even though the Catholic population is decreasing. This is true despite increasing Muslim populations. For some French people, Muslims remain outside of what it means to be 鈥渢ruly French,鈥� leading to many forms of anti-Muslim discrimination.
Ferrara shared anecdotes from her field research in France that demonstrated these dynamics. She told the story of Aisha, a young girl from the 93rd in Paris, a predominantly Muslim area, who struggled to find belonging in college. Despite having been reassured that she would fit in and be accepted in her school, Aisha felt marginalized due to her Muslim faith and felt that she was consistently treated as if she were 鈥渘ot actually French.鈥� For Aisha, French culture meant enforced uniformity, and her goal is to move out of France as soon as she is able. Ferrara argued that France must decolonize culturally in order to move beyond these harmful constructs and biases that continue to impact people like Aisha. After her presentation the audience asked a number of questions about the role of pluralism, Catholic spaces in France, and the place of Jews in France. Overall, Ferrara鈥檚 presentation highlighted the complex interplay between religion and national identity in France.