What kind of Muslim policy for France today? Conference by Jalila Sbaï at the lieu unique

Tuesday 12th November
6 pm
At the lieu unique, Nantes 
IEAoLU conferences series
Free admission subject to availability 

The concept of a Muslim policy dates back to the 19^th century. It was developed by French politicians and diplomats at the start of the French conquest of Islamic countries to denote a management policy for Muslims and their worship which would be distinct from both colonial policy and from religious policies used in the management of the French empire. This Muslim policy also allowed the management of Muslims present in mainland France until the independence of Algeria (1962).

The aim of this conference is on the one hand to retrace the history of this Muslim policy to the present day, with emphasis on the men who played an important role in it, in particular the civil servants/scholars/experts, Robert Montagne, Louis Massignon, Jacques Berque; on the other hand, it aims to examine the various aspects of this Muslim policy in France today, even though this term is no longer used. 

Jalila Sbaï, PhD inHistory, associateresearcher at the chair of contemporary history of the Arab world at the Collège de France, specialist in the history of France’s muslim policy, Islam in France and history of the Arab world. Author of numerous articles on Muslim policy, she has published “La politique musulmane de la France, un projet chrétien pour l’islam ? (1911-1954)” CNRS Editions, which won the 2019 Rendez-vous de l’histoire du Monde arabe prize. 

IEAoLU’s Tuesdays are a series of conferences co-organised with the lieu unique, each second tuesday of the month (at 6 pm) and open to the public (free admission). Each conference is organised as follows: a fellow from the IAS-Nantes deals with a major issue in today’s society with a strong international dimension; after the conference, the discussion is opened up to the public.

All the conferences are filmed and can be viewed on our website, here, and on our YouTube channel.