A discussion with |

Prof. Nilüfer Göle

The conflict between laïcité (the French concept of secularism) and public expressions of collective and personal religiosity is not new. The events of the last few months, however - and the reactions by mainstream French politicians - seem to mark a new fault line between the secularized Christian state and its growing Muslim population. The conflict around issues of terror and Islam in contemporary Europe has been amplified by a heated exchange between French President Macron and Turkish President Erdoğan—the latter being himself under fire lately for converting the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul back into a mosque. In the discussion, Prof. Nilüfer Göle will address the underlying religious and political contexts of these and other developments, such as the Reclaiming Public Space movements, and will attempt to understand what they might mean for the future of secularism in Europe, the Middle East, and the world.

Participants

Prof. Nilüfer Göle, École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS), Centre d’études sociologiques et politiques Raymond Aron (CESPRA), Paris

Hosted by Dr. Yochi Fischer, The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute