Unrepresentative representatives

What it takes to be a ‘Muslim’ commentator in France following the example of Mohamed Sifaoui and Chahdortt Djavann

Bibliographic Data

ID12280096
AuthorsFabrice Roger (0000-0002-8180-9375, University of Bristol, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume29
Issue1
Pages41-56
Publication date2020-10-13
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueModern & Contemporary France (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0963-9489 • E-ISSN: 1469-9869
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09639489.2020.1831462
OpenAlexW3155931446
LanguageEN
References cited10

A minority whose representation has attracted a lot of interest in France over the last two decades is undeniably the Muslim minority. Political and public interest in Islam closely followed 9/11 in France. A couple of years later, interest in Islam and discussions on the integration of Muslims were triggered anew by the 2003–2004 ‘headscarf affair’ and the debates on Islamic patriarchy that surrounded them. This article will examine how in this context Mohamed Sifaoui and Chahdortt Djavann, both commentators identified as Muslims by the French mainstream media, have emerged as authoritative figures or representatives of an Islam endorsed by the French intelligentsia. Through the rhetorical analysis of both authors’ bestselling books, it will argue that Sifaoui and Djavann have respectively embodied the figures of ‘reluctant witness’ and ‘model minority’ and paved the way for Muslim commentators endorsing French assimilationism and condemning communautarisme

Context (archaeology · Intelligentsia · Islam · Islamization · Mainstream · Media studies · Patriarchy · Political science · Politics · Representation (politics · Sociology · Theology · Witness · Gender Studies · Historical and Political Studies · History · Law · Multiculturalism, Politics, Migration, Gender · Philosophy · Political and Social Issues · Religious studies · Religious Studies

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