Abstract
Bans on face coverings are divisive in contemporary France, reflecting broader conflicts over reconciling religious identities with secularism. The concepts underlying these debates have transformed over the centuries. This comparative historical analysis covers the rise of imperial feminism in civilizing missions, its impact on Muslim women in colonial Algeria, and the extent to which imperial feminist ideologies persist in French debates over veiling. It finds that both the historical and contemporary French regimes centered on women’s status to legitimize Western domination and promote acculturation to European norms. However, these actions may only further oppress Muslim women by ignoring their agency and confining them to the private sphere. Thus, the French government must confront its colonial history and address the headscarf debates while centering the voices of Muslim women and deconstructing oppressive Western ideologies. By doing so, France may pave the way for more inclusive, postcolonial approaches to integrating diverse cultures.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Garvey, Fiona
(2025)
"A History Unveiled: The French Civilizing Mission in Algeria and Contemporary Headscarf Debates,"
Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union:
Vol. 2025, Article 8.
Available at:
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/urceu/vol2025/iss1/8