French Laïcité: What Does It Stand for?

The French notion of laïcité, which regulates ostentatious public displays or expressions of religion, is one of the classical models. Even so, it is misunderstood both in France and outside of it. In this interview, two of the preeminent architects of modern laïcité, Jean Baubérot and Henri Peña-Ruiz, discuss how they understand this complex concept with Dr. Sarah Fainberg as part of the February 2013 “Secularism on the Edge” conference. Their conversation ranges from explorations of the theoretical to practical, touching on such fraught topics as identity, the veil, and gay marriage in France.

Dr. Henri Peña-Ruiz is a French philosopher, writer, and politician. He is currently maître de conférences at the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris. Dr. Jean Baubérot is a historian and sociologist of religion as well as the founder of the sociology of secularism. He holds a doctorate from the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), where he established the Groupe de Sociologie des Religions et de la Laïcité and is now Professor Emeritus of history and sociology of laïcité. Both men served on Stasi Commission of 2003, which was set up to examine the application of the laïcque principle and which led to the passage of the controversial French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools in 2004.