La polémica sobre los símbolos religiosos en Francia. La laicidad republicana como principio de integración

Abstract

As a result of the claims made by a number of cultural groups in schools, there has recently been a revival in France of the debate about the most appropriate way to achieve the integration of immigrants. While France has traditionally adopted a model of integration based on voluntary assimilation together with respect for private cultural practices, during the last few years the debate has been increasingly dominated by those who wish to assert republican laicity as the most appropriate way of achieving peaceful co-existence in  he midst of cultural and religious diversity. This article examines the development of the debate over religious symbols in French schools. A debate which began from a standpoint of tolerance and has now resulted in the recent legal ban on religious symbols on the basis of recommendations made by the Stasi Committee’s report and on an argument about the laicity of institutions.