- Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques, Sociology, Post-DocNorthwestern University, Sociology, Graduate Studentadd
- I hold a dual PhD degree from Sciences Po Paris and Northwestern University. For my dissertation, I tracked instances... moreI hold a dual PhD degree from Sciences Po Paris and Northwestern University. For my dissertation, I tracked instances of racial reasoning that occur in relation to the religion of Islam in Western societies, by focusing on the specific experiences of Muslim converts in France and the United States. I am now Assistant Professor at CERI Sciences Po (Paris) on the theme "Islam in Europe".edit
This course introduces students to the craft of doing qualitative research through first-hand experience. Students will gather in groups to conduct their own research project in relation to the broader theme “Public space and political... more
This course introduces students to the craft of doing qualitative research through first-hand experience. Students will gather in groups to conduct their own research project in relation to the broader theme “Public space and political life.” By inviting them to “get their hands dirty” in real research, this course provides students with the opportunity to reflect on the practical challenges of qualitative methods in a supportive and collaborative atmosphere. The 12 sessions will combine discussion time on the ongoing research projects and short lecture time and debates on the politics of qualitative research (conducting research during a pandemic, team work, research ethics and reflexivity, fieldnotes, qualitative data analysis, using software, writing, etc.). This workshop is designed in the continuity of the Fall Semester: last Fall, the course “Qualitative Methods I” (with Nadège Ragaru and Sandrine Revet) invited students to critically reflect on a variety of qualitative methods while the course “Research Design” (with Laura Morales) introduced them to the various steps of a research project. The objective of the current workshop is to put these teachings into practice. Students who did not attend these courses should not worry: they will learn on the job! The course is organized as follows: the first 6 sessions explore practical issues in qualitative research and lay the ground for each research project (literature review, research design, first encounters with the field); the next 4 sessions are devoted to discussing the challenges encountered by each group (debriefing); the last 2 sessions are devoted to presentations of group projects and collective discussion.
Academic Year: 2021-Spring semester
Sciences Po School of Research
Masters Program in Political Science
Academic Year: 2021-Spring semester
Sciences Po School of Research
Masters Program in Political Science
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This course introduces students to qualitative methods in the social sciences. It highlights the contributions of qualitative research to the in-depth study of the State, politics, institutions and international organizations. By the end... more
This course introduces students to qualitative methods in the social sciences. It highlights the contributions of qualitative research to the in-depth study of the State, politics, institutions and international organizations. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with a range of qualitative methods, including interviews, ethnography, archival work (with official and leaked documents), focus groups, media analysis, online research and international comparison. They will read key authors (and watch documentaries) who use qualitative methods to examine the crafting of public policy, the history of institutions, interactions between citizens and the State and the inner workings of international organizations. Students will also collectively engage with the strengths and challenges of qualitative methods by conducting their own research project on the topic of their choice.
Academic Year: 2021-Spring semester
Sciences Po Undergraduate
2nd year
Academic Year: 2021-Spring semester
Sciences Po Undergraduate
2nd year
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This course aims at introducing students to qualitative methods in the social sciences. It highlights the contributions of qualitative research to the study of the State, public policy and institutions, while also exploring its... more
This course aims at introducing students to qualitative methods in the social sciences. It highlights the contributions of qualitative research to the study of the State, public policy and institutions, while also exploring its limitations. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with a range of qualitative methods, including interviews, ethnography, archival research, focus groups, international comparison, text analysis and the use of leaked documents. They will read key authors who use qualitative methods to examine the crafting of public policies, the history of institutions or the workings of international organizations. The selected readings focus mostly on Europe, North America and the MENA region. Students will collectively engage with the strengths and challenges of qualitative methods. They will conduct their own qualitative research on one public policy or institution of their choice and will have the opportunity to reflect on the practical obstacles and opportunities that these methods raise on the field.
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This course introduces students to the social, political and historical dynamics that shape the lives of Muslim minorities in Western Europe and North America. It is divided into three parts. Part 1 situates Islam and Muslims within the... more
This course introduces students to the social, political and historical dynamics that shape the lives of Muslim minorities in Western Europe and North America. It is divided into three parts. Part 1 situates Islam and Muslims within the larger European and American polities, by comparing how church-State relations, colonial history, immigration and racial inequalities have affected the representation of Islam in the European and American imaginations. Part 2 unpacks a series of public controversies over Islam and Muslims that have occurred over the past few decades and explores what they reveal about Euro-American societies. Part 3 investigates how Islam is lived among ordinary European and American Muslims, with several sessions devoted to ethnographic reading about Muslim life. This course exposes students to a variety of perspectives across the social sciences (history, political science, anthropology, sociology). It takes a comparative stance by covering a plurality of national contexts (France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, etc.). By the end of this class, students will be familiar with the various public and academic debates surrounding European and American Muslims and will be able to mobilize tools from the social sciences to critically discuss religion, secularism, citizenship, discrimination and violence in Western contexts.
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Since the Age of Enlightenment, scholars have been continuously predicting the demise of religion. Yet, religion is still thriving and vibrant in most contemporary societies. Not only has religion “survived” in the “modern” world, it has... more
Since the Age of Enlightenment, scholars have been continuously predicting the demise of religion. Yet, religion is still thriving and vibrant in most contemporary societies. Not only has religion “survived” in the “modern” world, it has also undergone significant changes, revivals and adaptations. The objective of this course is to study religion sociologically, which means that we will not focus so much on religious texts and teachings but rather on the way individuals experience religion in their daily lives. The course is divided into three sections. The first section consists in a theoretical endeavor to define religion. The founding fathers of sociology, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Karl Marx, devoted considerable amounts of time to writing about religion. Following their lead, we will analyze religion as a socially constituted reality that in turn influences the social world. A significant part of the course will be dedicated to unpacking the very category of “religion:” What is religion? When do you know when you see it? What is the meaning of religion in people’s lives? The second section will provide methodological tools to study religion in a sociological perspective: students will be introduced to the ethnographic method in social sciences and will learn the art and craft of performing participant observation in religious settings. The third section will focus on empirical work describing contemporary manifestations of religion and how it intersects with class, race, gender, immigration, civic life, and the state.
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“Being white” in the United States is an identity often left unquestioned. Whiteness and Americanness have become so closely intertwined that they are almost undistinguishable in public discourse. While other ethnic and racial groups... more
“Being white” in the United States is an identity often left unquestioned. Whiteness and
Americanness have become so closely intertwined that they are almost undistinguishable in public discourse. While other ethnic and racial groups (African-Americans, Asian-Americans) have to use hyphenation to demonstrate their belonging to the nation, white Americans typically don’t face such challenges. In terms of access to housing, employment, healthcare, credit and political representation, whites also have a structural advantage. Whiteness therefore appears as a default, invisible identity, a norm against which minorities are defined as “Others.” The purpose of this elective course is to deconstruct this idea. We will investigate whiteness as a racial identity that has been historically constructed as a source of privilege and will reflect on its current implications for racial inequality. The course is divided in three parts: we will first try to reach a conceptual and theoretical understanding of whiteness as a historical system of privilege, by relying on the work of prominent American authors (WEB DuBois, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison). We will then delve into the history of whiteness in America in order to understand how its content and boundaries have shifted over the years. Finally, the bulk of the course will be devoted to ethnographic studies investigating how whiteness operates in daily life and intersects with other factors of social stratification such as class, space, gender, age, politics and religion. The objective is also to introduce students to the ethnographic method in social sciences.
Americanness have become so closely intertwined that they are almost undistinguishable in public discourse. While other ethnic and racial groups (African-Americans, Asian-Americans) have to use hyphenation to demonstrate their belonging to the nation, white Americans typically don’t face such challenges. In terms of access to housing, employment, healthcare, credit and political representation, whites also have a structural advantage. Whiteness therefore appears as a default, invisible identity, a norm against which minorities are defined as “Others.” The purpose of this elective course is to deconstruct this idea. We will investigate whiteness as a racial identity that has been historically constructed as a source of privilege and will reflect on its current implications for racial inequality. The course is divided in three parts: we will first try to reach a conceptual and theoretical understanding of whiteness as a historical system of privilege, by relying on the work of prominent American authors (WEB DuBois, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison). We will then delve into the history of whiteness in America in order to understand how its content and boundaries have shifted over the years. Finally, the bulk of the course will be devoted to ethnographic studies investigating how whiteness operates in daily life and intersects with other factors of social stratification such as class, space, gender, age, politics and religion. The objective is also to introduce students to the ethnographic method in social sciences.
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Pour offrir à ses lecteurs des clés pour comprendre les polémiques et controverses autour de la question raciale, La Vie des Idées a posé les six mêmes questions à cinq spécialistes en sciences humaines et sociales. Leurs réponses donnent... more
Pour offrir à ses lecteurs des clés pour comprendre les polémiques et controverses autour de la question raciale, La Vie des Idées a posé les six mêmes questions à cinq spécialistes en sciences humaines et sociales. Leurs réponses donnent à voir la très grande diversité des approches universitaires.
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The ceremony of conversion to Islam is well established and codified. It entails reciting three times in a row the profession of faith (or shahada) in front of Muslim witnesses. This parsimonious ceremonial can be preceded by a ritual... more
The ceremony of conversion to Islam is well established and codified. It entails reciting three times in a row the profession of faith (or shahada) in front of Muslim witnesses. This parsimonious ceremonial can be preceded by a ritual bath ( ghusl ), which involves a full body-washing and the performing of wuduʾ (ritual ablution required before prayer). As it is framed by the Islamic tradition, the shahada constitutes a rite of passage: it marks out the entry of an individual into Islam and delineates the state of non-Muslimness from that of Muslimness. This is at least the role it is expected to perform in theory. What happens in practice and in the minds of individuals is much more complex and ambiguous.
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La figure du converti suscite aujourd'hui fantasmes et craintes. Par-delà les préjugés, l'enquête de Juliette Galonnier en France et aux États-Unis révèle les difficultés quotidiennes auxquels font face les convertis qui, en l'absence de... more
La figure du converti suscite aujourd'hui fantasmes et craintes. Par-delà les préjugés, l'enquête de Juliette Galonnier en France et aux États-Unis révèle les difficultés quotidiennes auxquels font face les convertis qui, en l'absence de cadres sociaux établis, vivent souvent leur religion dans une grande solitude – tout en cherchant, souvent, à la réinventer.
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The religious convert is a figure of fear and fascination today. Looking beyond clichés, Juliette Galonnier's investigation in France and the United States shows the daily struggles facing converts who, in the absence of established... more
The religious convert is a figure of fear and fascination today. Looking beyond clichés, Juliette Galonnier's investigation in France and the United States shows the daily struggles facing converts who, in the absence of established social frameworks, often experience their religion in great solitude – while at the same time trying to reinvent it.
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The urban sociology literature has identified three types of segregated spaces: the ghetto, the enclave and the citadel. While the ghetto stems from a high constraint, the enclave accounts for a more intentional form of segregation and... more
The urban sociology literature has identified three types of segregated spaces: the ghetto, the enclave and the citadel. While the ghetto stems from a high constraint, the enclave accounts for a more intentional form of segregation and the citadel refers to a deliberate attempt to exclude undesirable populations. While these three figures are often contrasted in the American literature, this article focuses on a specific type of neighbourhood that combines all of these: the upper-class minority neighbourhood. By introducing the main results of an interview study I conducted in the Indian city of Aligarh, I show that Muslim upper-class residential choices are informed by contradictory feelings: while the threat of Hindu–Muslim riots forces them to segregate in homogenous neighbourhoods (the ghetto), their segregation also stems from a genuine desire to live in an Islamic environment (the enclave). Finally, the Muslim upper classes also indulge in a sharp process of socio-spatial differentiation from their poorer coreligionists (the citadel). These processes of compelled segregation, self-aggregation and social distancing lead to an enduring spatial concentration along religious and class lines. The simultaneity of these three logics indicates that the categories of the ghetto, the enclave and the citadel, framed in reference to the American context, can be applied to the Indian city of Aligarh if understood as dynamic processes rather than static spatial units. Such a reformulation allows theory to travel across the North–South divide in a more productive way.
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Drawing on in-depth interviews and ethnographic data, this article provides one of the first empirical analyses of religious classes for converts in the United States. Focusing on “new member classes” in two religious communities (a... more
Drawing on in-depth interviews and ethnographic data, this article provides one of the first empirical analyses of religious classes for converts in the United States. Focusing on “new member classes” in two religious communities (a Muslim association and an evangelical Christian church), we introduce the concept of “pedagogies of conversion” to describe how religious organizations teach converts about their new religion and set up guidelines to frame the conversion process. By examining the pedagogical tools that religious instructors use on a daily basis to foster spirituality among new members, we investigate how converts learn to become religious people. We demonstrate that while there are significant differences in the doctrines (know-what) being taught in the Muslim and evangelical classrooms, the tips and pieces of advice delivered by instructors on how to be religious (know-how) are strikingly similar.
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This article uses conversion to Islam as a lens through which to explore the intricacies of race and religion in France and the United States. Using in-depth interviewing and ethnography, the author explores how white converts relate to... more
This article uses conversion to Islam as a lens through which to explore the intricacies of race and religion in France and the United States. Using in-depth interviewing and ethnography, the author explores how white converts relate to their allegedly dissonant racial and religious identities in national contexts where Islam has been racialized as ‘Brown’ and foreign. Focusing on two countries that have historically had highly contrasted understandings of race and religion, she offers a comparative analysis of how race operates in the lives of Muslim converts on both sides of the Atlantic. The article shows that, even though processes of racial assignation work in a similar manner in both cases, French and American converts report different experiences with race, thereby suggesting that the racialization of Islam is endowed with different textures and meanings across national contexts.
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This paper focuses on white converts to Islam as anomalous individuals in a world where race and faith have become closely intertwined. Because they disrupt classic understandings of whiteness and enter a setting, the Muslim community,... more
This paper focuses on white converts to Islam as anomalous individuals in a world where race and faith have become closely intertwined. Because they disrupt classic understandings of whiteness and enter a setting, the Muslim community, where whiteness is neither unmarked nor dominant, I argue that white converts to Islam can be characterized as “non-normative whites.” I show that, by virtue of their discordant racial and religious identities, white converts to Islam develop a form of reflexivity that sheds light on the underlying assumptions attached to white skin in America. Using ethnography and in depth interviewing with 42 converts, I thus explore how non normative whites relate to their own whiteness. I demonstrate that whites too are subjected to racial objectification, although in ambivalent and at times contradictory ways. The last part of the paper examines the daily strategies used by white converts to maneuver their whiteness and defuse racial tensions within the Muslim community. The wide range of interpretive repertoires they employ presents a picture of whiteness that is more complex than what most academic studies make it seem.
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19 janvier 2019. Des Latinos qui quittent leur ancrage chrétien pour épouser l’islam, le phénomène reste encore marginal mais commence à faire parler de lui au pays de l’Oncle Sam. Un reportage aux Etats-Unis de Christèle Jaime suivi d’un... more
19 janvier 2019. Des Latinos qui quittent leur ancrage chrétien pour épouser l’islam, le phénomène reste encore marginal mais commence à faire parler de lui au pays de l’Oncle Sam. Un reportage aux Etats-Unis de Christèle Jaime suivi d’un décryptage en plateau de Juliette Galonnier, docteure en sociologie.
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En dépit de son utilisation et de son invocation fréquentes, il n'y a pas d'accord sur ce que désigne le racisme. Ses usages sont variés et ont changé au cours du temps. Ainsi, lorsque la référence au racisme se généralise dans les années... more
En dépit de son utilisation et de son invocation fréquentes, il n'y a pas d'accord sur ce que désigne le racisme. Ses usages sont variés et ont changé au cours du temps. Ainsi, lorsque la référence au racisme se généralise dans les années 1920, c'est comme synonyme de doctrine raciale. Dans cette première acception, le racisme est l'attribut d'un discours explicite ou d'une pensée structurée ; il qualifie une théorie ou une idéologie. Toutefois, dès les années 1930 est attesté un second usage, selon lequel le racisme désigne une attitude d'hostilité à l'égard d'individus ou de groupes en raison de la « race » qui leur est attribuée. Il qualifie également un ensemble de jugements ou d'affects ou bien encore un système ou un ordre social qui détermine les positions et chances de vie dans la société. Ce colloque entend questionner le terme même de « racisme » et revenir sur ses usages pluriels par les acteurs, les institutions et les chercheurs. Qu'a-ton à l'esprit lorsqu'on parle de « racisme » et que l'on désigne une situation, un comportement ou un système comme « racistes » ? Quels sont les conflits d'interprétation, les malentendus, les dits et les non-dits que le terme génère ? Quelles possibilités d'action ouvre-t-il et quelles portes referme-t-il ? Quels sont les usages scientifiques faits de la notion de racisme et quelles sont les modalités d'opérationnalisation de ce concept pour les sciences humaines et sociales ?
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This session invites papers examining the intersection of race and religion in the case of Muslims in Europe. The objective will be to discuss the relevance of framing European Muslims' lived experiences in terms of race, racism and... more
This session invites papers examining the intersection of race and religion in the case of Muslims in Europe. The objective will be to discuss the relevance of framing European Muslims' lived experiences in terms of race, racism and racialization. The " racialization of religion " is understood here as a process which assigns to faith traditions a number of phenotypical, somatic and moral characteristics construed as inborn and immutable. Despite their ethnic and cultural diversity, European Muslims are often lumped together into a homogeneous racial category (Arabs, South Asians, Turks, etc.). In turn, individuals belonging to these ethnic groups are frequently " religio-ized " as Muslim, irrespective of their actual religious beliefs. The stereotypical figure of the " Muslim " takes on ambivalent attributes since it conflates belief with national origin, ethnicity, culture, phenotype, skin color and negative moral values. It contributes to the essentialization and enduring stigmatization of European Muslims. The session encourages a renewed reflection on the concept of Islamophobia by bringing to the forefront an ethnic and racial studies perspective. Papers that track current instances of racial reasoning in relation to Muslims in Europe are welcome, as well as contributions that explore the historical genealogies of this racialization. Comparisons with anti-Semitism for instance, as well as other forms of otherization, are encouraged. The session also invites papers investigating how European Muslims navigate the ethno-racial stigma attached to their religion and the coping strategies they use to face Islamophobia.
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Dans le cadre du projet « Islam subsaharien et comorien en France » financé par le Bureau central des cultes (DLPAJ) du ministère de l'Intérieur, en partenariat avec le ministère de l'Education nationale, de l'enseignement supérieur et de... more
Dans le cadre du projet « Islam subsaharien et comorien en France » financé par le Bureau central des cultes (DLPAJ) du ministère de l'Intérieur, en partenariat avec le ministère de l'Education nationale, de l'enseignement supérieur et de la recherche, nous organisons un colloque qui réunira des chercheurs et doctorants spécialistes de la question, ainsi que des acteurs (religieux, associatifs, politiques) centraux du champ.
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La revue Tracés invite l'ensemble des sciences humaines et sociales à interroger « l'époque » comme l'un des fondements de nos modes de raisonnement et de nos pratiques. Tout d'abord, l'époque, et l'opération consistant à caractériser des... more
La revue Tracés invite l'ensemble des sciences humaines et sociales à interroger « l'époque » comme l'un des fondements de nos modes de raisonnement et de nos pratiques. Tout d'abord, l'époque, et l'opération consistant à caractériser des périodes historiques, occupent une place décisive dans les sciences humaines et sociales. Les études scientifiques n'ont cependant pas l'apanage de la caractérisation historique : les acteurs sociaux interrogent également le temps dans lequel ils vivent et font régulièrement référence à d'autres époques pour le distinguer et le définir. Enfin, la définition des époques légitimes et leur dénomination font l'objet de conflits et de contestations, tant elles représentent des enjeux de pouvoir déterminants. Époque en sciences humaines et sociales, époque ordinaire ou époque contestée : ce numéro propose d'explorer les différentes façons de « faire époque », de la définir comme d'en faire l'expérience.
Date limite de soumission des articles : 1er mai 2018 – voir modalités de soumission en fin d'appel à contribution.
Date limite de soumission des articles : 1er mai 2018 – voir modalités de soumission en fin d'appel à contribution.
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La revue Tracés organise le 8 février2019 une journée d’étude qui donnera lieu au numéro Hors-Série de 2019 afin d’adopter une perspective critique et réflexive sur la question des données de la recherche. Les données de la recherche... more
La revue Tracés organise le 8 février2019 une journée d’étude qui donnera lieu au numéro Hors-Série de 2019 afin d’adopter une perspective critique et réflexive sur la question des données de la recherche. Les données de la recherche cristallisent en effet une série d’enjeux qui touchent toutes les disciplines en sciences humaines et sociales et renvoient à des problématiques aussi bien juridiques (protection des données, des enquêté·e·set des chercheur·e·s), que techniques (stockage, sécurisation, indexation,opérabilité, etc.), méthodologiques (recueil, valorisation, réutilisation),épistémologiques (validité de la preuve, outillage des sciences sociales),économiques (financement de la recherche) et politiques (politiques scientifiques nationales et européennes, place des sciences humaines et sociales dans le champ scientifique, mais aussi politiques de l’enquête et de la relation enquêtrice·eur/enquêté·e).