Hybrid Perspectives: Muslim and Secular Discourses in French Politics

Increased immigration, especially from Muslim-majority countries, has been broadly debated in French socio-political life. Frictions have been common between two groups: Muslims and non-Muslims who identify themselves as 'defenders of secularism'. At the same time, however, hybrid strategies have emerged in which Muslims and non-Muslims have sought to culturally and socially adapt themselves. Through a review of online French media published between 2017 and 2020, as understood using social constructivism, this study explores these groups' construction of hybrid identities. Discourses were analyzed to identify their ideological schemes, utterances, references, and arguments, with linguistic analysis facilitated by NVIVO software. Analysis shows that the hybrid discourses of non-Muslim 'defenders of secularism' have been more prominent than those of Muslims. Furthermore, the narrative tendencies of these hybrid discourses indicate that non-Muslim groups have sought to promote diversity in religious practices in France, while Muslim groups have sought to integrate themselves into broader French society.Meningkatnya jumlah imigran, terutama imigran muslim menjadi persoalan sendiri pada kehidupan sosial politik Prancis. Seringkali terjadi gesekan-gesekan narasi mengenai keislaman antara dua kelompok, yaitu kelompok muslim; dan non-muslim yang melabelkan dirinya sebagai ‘pembela sekularitas’. Namun di sisi lain, muncul pula narasi hibrid yang memuat strategi adaptasi budaya dan sosial dari kelompok muslim maupun kelompok non-muslim. Maka dari itu, penelitian ini membahas konstruksi wacana hibrid pada dua kelompok tersebut di media online Prancis dari tahun 2017 sampai 2020 dengan menggunakan perspektif konstruktivitis sosial dalam masyarakat menurut Lev Vygostky. Data wacana dianalisis dengan skema ideologis, tuturan, referensial dan argumentasi dengan melihat konteks wacana dengan menggunakan alat bantu linguistik NVIVO. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa wacana hibrid dari kelompok non-muslim ‘pembela sekularisme’ lebih tinggi daripada wacana hibrid dari kelompok muslim. Selain itu, pola-pola narasi konstruksi wacana hibrid menunjukkan bahwa kelompok kelompok non-muslim bersikap terbuka dengan adanya keberagaman agama dan praktik keagamaan di negara Prancis; dan kelompok muslim berkeinginan untuk dapat berintegrasi dengan masyarakat Prancis.

Obscene or Exemplary? Robert Marchand’s Cycling World Hour Record

The cycling world hour record for riders over 105 years old set in 2017 by Robert Marchand was much discussed in France in a context of neoliberal discourses about work and retirement. Within a debate about work characterized by desires to encourage “active aging,” Marchand’s sporting athletic effort was variously perceived as exemplary hard work and productive old age, or as an obscene abuse of athleticism. This article examines the reception of Marchand’s record within the wider context of contemporary neoliberal trends in French politics, culture, and society. It considers Marchand’s working life, active sporting retirement, and left-wing politics. It shows how media coverage and public discussion of the sporting “work” of his “performance” exemplified competing discourses in France’s national discussions about neoliberalism.

Catholic Clergy at Home and in Rome: Intersocial Processes in French Counterrevolution (1848–52)

Sociological scholarship on political revolution has recently begun to embrace a process-based understanding of revolutions. Such a processual ontology opens up for understanding hitherto unaddressed processes of counterrevolution. Historians of the Spring of Nations, and The Second French Republic (1848–52) in particular, have failed to address the international aspects of the revolutions, and above all of counterrevolution in the period. This paper addresses this gap through a historical case study of the French Catholic clergy in the Second French Republic. The study applies an amalgamation of recent theoretical developments from revolution scholarship in order to dissect the empirical material and births a new framework in the process. The results demonstrate the important intersocial work of Catholic clergy on the triumph of the counterrevolution in France. The political concerns of the Papal States and Pope Pius IX spilled over into French politics and cemented the legitimacy of the counterrevolutionary turn and fuelled the rise of Louis Napoleon. From these results a new theoretical framework that addresses the intersocial nature of political agency and moves beyond a domestic understanding of political processes is developed. Further studies applying this approach across cases are encouraged in order to better understand how these processes unfold and how multiple intersocial influences can interplay.

The Bretons in French Politics: Regional Mobilization within and beyond the Central State

This article revisits the French region of Brittany on the basis of sustained empirical research over a 25-year period. It identifies the twin use of influence and identity as forming a key part of an accepted and largely diffused territorial repertoire, based on affirming distinctiveness for reasons of vertical linkage, as well as horizontal capacity building. This article explores the different facets of this model of territorial influence. The two twin dimensions concern: first, a well-versed mechanism of lobbying central institutions and actors to defend the Breton interest; second, the use of territorial identity markers to forward the regional cause, relying on social movements and a broad capacity for regional mobilization. Within this overarching context, the Breton case demonstrates an intelligent instrumental use of identity and identity markers, but mainstream Breton forces recognize that this only makes sense in the light of the national level of regulation and structure of opportunities. The logic of this position is to integrate the Brittany region into a national model of territorial integration, while playing up identity markers to secure the maximum benefit for the region.

Greek identities and French politics in the Revue des Deux Mondes (1846–1900)

The longevity of the magazine Revue des Deux Mondes, its position among the French magazines, its contents, contributors and directors, all prominent scholars of France, establish the Revue des Deux Mondes as an important record of intellectual and political life in the nineteenth century, as well as of the way in which the West in general and France in particular regarded contemporary Greece during the same period. This study aims to provide an overview of all Greek-themed articles in the magazine from 1829 to 1899, with the purpose of exploring the various aspects of ancient and contemporary Hellenism, in relation to France’s foreign policies as well as the activities of the French School at Athens.

A socialist, French commissioner

Before he became a European commissioner, Pierre Moscovici was a French Minister of Finance, close to President François Hollande, and an influential member of the Socialist Party. Even after he moved to Brussels, Moscovici never neglected French politics. Members of his cabinet worked hard to make sure he remained politically relevant in France, and kept his options open there. Meanwhile, the commissioner also tried to position himself as a leader of the European left. This chapter shows how, after Emmanuel Macron’s victory, the prominent socialist politician gradually lost his political base in his home country, which led to tense relations with both the Socialist Party and the Elysée Palace—a key European player.