Bloomsbury Islam and the Governing of Muslims in France (Islam of the Global West): Secularism without Religion

Will Islam be able to adapt to Frances secularity and its strict separation of public and private spheres? Can France accommodate Muslims? In this book, Frank Peter argues that the debate about Islam and Muslims is not simply caused by ignorance or Islamophobia. Rather, it is an integral part of how secularism is reasoned. Islam and the Governing of Muslims in France shows that the understandings of religion that separate it from other aspects of life, such as politics, economy and culture, fail to capture the ways religion has operated and been managed in secular societies such as France. This book uncovers the varying rationalities of the secular that have developed over the past few decades in France to govern Islam, to argue that scholars should instead examine how Islam is managed politically, culturally, and socially. This book includes empirical research in a close analysis of French secularism as it was experienced by Islamic intellectuals and activists living in France from 1989 until the present. It will influence the study of secularism as well as the study of Islam in the French Republic, and reveal new connections between Islamic traditions and secular rationalities. Review Among recent works on European forms of governance of Islam, Frank Peter's stands out for its breadth and for its strong, consistent theoretical argument.John R. Bowen, Professor of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, USAThis book is theoretically sophisticated, sociologically and historically detailed, politically engaged, and compellingly argued. Frank Peter commands his subject like no other.Paul A. Silverstein, Professor of Anthropology, Reed College, USA About the Author Frank Peter is Assistant Professor at the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, Hamad bin Khalifa University, Qatar.