Why The French Don T Like Headscarves Analysis

The Theory of Secularization is, by its very nature, complex and unintuitive. Secularization, boiled down, is “the passage, transfer, or relocations of persons, things, functions, meanings and so forth from their traditional location in the religious spheres to the secular spheres” (Casanova 13). In fact, the theory of secularization is so hard to study and perceive that many still wonder whether or not it is myth in practice (Casanova 11). In part it is so difficult to study because Secularization has been burdened with “a wide range of meanings that it has accumulated through its history” (Casanova 12). Additionally, to study Secularization’s real world effects, one would have to quiz thousands of religious people on their thoughts, feelings
To better explain the political landscape and give readers context he first explains, through the words of an expert, the French ideal of Laicite. While traditional Anglo-Saxon’s freedom of religion focuses on the concrete individuals rights Laicite focuses on an individual’s rights in the abstract (Bowen 14). This means that practicers of Lacite only practice their religion in the private sphere and do not bring their religion into the public sphere. In this way, with no one practicing religion in public, the abstract individual is never disadvantage or advantage by practicing a certain religion and public order is maintained (Bowen 15). In France there is the fear that different religions will always be at odds with each other, but so long as Laicite is in place no one will be at odds because it will be less obvious who practices what. In this line of thinking, Sikhs and other outwardly practicing religions are a threat to the system because they stand out. Laicite functions as a tool to bring society closer together but this can not be done if certain groups are consistently standing out from the crowd and identifying themselves in a way that is not replicable for other citizens. Having a completely equal and homogenized society while also having groups that stand out and define themselves
About one fourth of the way through the book Bowen writes about a number of religious councils that represent all of the major religions in France. The head organization is named The Central Bureau of Religion which clearly does not show much of a separation between religion and politics (Bowens 48). If Differentiation truly is the “Emancipation of the Secular Spheres” as Casanova writes then the existence of such organizations runs counter to the definition given for Secularization because the spheres are no longer independent, they are intermingling. This means that Differentiation may not have taken place, or it has not yet fully realised the definition which Casanova has assigned