Anne-Laure Zwilling

A century of mosques in France: building religious pluralism

The public debate in France has rolled out heatedly on the building of minarets, with opinion polls giving a majority of French opposed to the idea. Nevertheless, a fair number of mosques has been built throughout the past century. The French reception of mosques is therefore a complicated case. Recalling the history of French mosques and its different turns, with a focus on recent history, allows a glimpse at the visibility of Islam in the national sphere in France and its public reception. It also underlines that religious buildings, in the city, are at the intersection of different levels: questions of identity, of politics, of faith, and of integration, are all at stake.

Shifting religions in shifting territories

One of the specificities of modernity is the way its challenges the human relation to space. This in turns implies changes concerning religion. This article is an introduction to the special issue of the Review on “religion and territory.” It displays the diverse aspects at play: first, the contemporary study of the question of space in human and social sciences, and its recent evolution, open a vast and challenging field. The complex relationship between religious belonging and spatial setting is also a promising entry point. Furthermore, the evolution of the state-religion relationship, and the governance of religious space, are revealing points of view as regards religion and territory. Finally, the questions pertaining to religion and the management of the urban space are also of interest.