This book analyses French cultural policies in the face of what the French government perceives
as a challenge to its Republican secular raison d'être. It makes general arguments about
France's changing identity and specific arguments about the burqa and niqab ban. The book
further explains how French history shaped the ideology of secularism and of public civil
religion and how colonial legacy immigration fear of terrorism and security needs have led
France to adopt the trinity of indivisibilité sécurité laïcité while paying homage to the
traditional trinity of liberté égalité fraternité. The book argues that while this motto of
the French Revolution is still symbolically and politically important its practical
significance as it has been translated to policy implementation has been eroded. It shows how
the emergence of the new trinity at the expense of the old one is evident when analyzing the
debates concerning cultural policies in France in the face of the Islamic garb the burqa and
the niqab which are perceived as a challenge to France's national secular raison d'être.
Subsequently the book raises various important questions such as: Is the burqa and niqab ban
socially just? Does it reasonably balance the preservation of societal values and freedom of
conscience? What are the true motives behind the ban? Has the discourse changed in the age of
COVID-19 when all people are required to wear a mask in the public space? Therefore this book
is a must-read for students scholars and researchers of political science as well as a
general audience interested in a better understanding of French politics elections cultural
policy secularism and identity.
