Muslim Women's Organizing in France and Italy: Political Culture, Activism, and Performativity in the Public Sphere

This article examines the activism and performativity of Muslim women's associations in France and Italy. It argues that decolonization, immigration, and secularity must be taken into consideration to understand the different approaches Muslim women have used in the public sphere in these countries. The recent popularity of the French women's organization Ni Putes Ni Soumises must be understood within the context of the broader phenomenon of public favor for ethnic minority women who promote republican values of liberty, equality, and fraternity. In Italy, no ethnic minority or Muslim's women's association has entered the national spotlight. Associations such as Trama di Terre in Imola include Muslim women among their leaders and members, but they have resisted assimilation and used difference as a starting point. Even as they engage in initiatives to provide educational and professional opportunities for women and to end discrimination and violence, Muslim women in both Italy and France are consistently called upon by the public to represent the Muslim viewpoint and comment on a range of "Muslim" issues, from headscarves to polygamy and terrorism, even when these are not central to their agendas and the work of their associations.