France, Alternative Libertaire AL - feminism, Sailing:
at the university, "dress code" (fr, it, pt) [machine translation]
The bill submitted by the UMP Eric Ciotti, to ban the headscarf in universities, begins to
flow from the ink especially in feminist and academic circles. Although Manuel Valls says
the issue is not yet on the agenda, the vigilance is needed because this is an opportunity
to stir up nauseating about the students who wear the veil. ---- With the turning of the
pages of newspapers rather right, we read some stories about tensions which would be
exposed teachers, forced to face during veiled students, whose numbers would be expanding
(without any data come and do serious prove). ---- Multiple discrimination ---- In October
2014, a teacher at Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence found himself under the spotlight, having
pointed to a student wearing the veil she 'embarrassed his comrades amphi "[1]. Sure of
his rights in his vast office, the teacher ensures that the student would be "manipulated"
and that it "is pitiful." Students witnessed the scene seem rather annoyed-es by the
attitude of the teacher, who is deemed moved by many of them and them.
Last February, a temporary teacher in charge of a course on insurance law expresses its
hostility to religious symbols in the public space, with him, the delicacy not to shout at
the student directly. That said, being the only person in a veiled promotion fifteen
students, she could not help but take note for her.
The teacher then informed the training manager for refusing to give over to a veiled
student, after which the Presidency has suspended the teacher, since the law allows the
veil in universities (and therefore prohibits the discriminatory attitude) .
At ESPE Créteil, claiming that students are future-es teachers, a group of trainers
probably affected in their secularism, asked the institution to take action against veiled
students. An application which has fortunately been rejected, including through the
mobilization of students with Solidarity.
Based on these testimonies of lay teachers is being defenders of republican values, UMP
deputy Eric Ciotti filed last February a bill to ban the headscarf in universities,
extending the higher education provisions of the 2004 law on the wearing of conspicuous
religious symbols in schools and colleges. The bill does not yet appear on the agenda are
a priori students wearing the veil can at least finish their academic year.
Combining feminism and anti-racism
However, the positions of each others are worrying about it: we are not surprised to see
Sarkozy support such a measure. But one wonders how representatives of the International
League of Women Law (in this case Annie Sugier President and Secretary Linda Weil-Curiel)
went on to sign a dependent tribune against feminist academics criticizing the draft law
and advocating excluding universities of some women ... in the name of women's rights[2].
As for Pascale Boistard, Secretary of State for Women's Rights, it does not rule openly in
favor of a law, while expressing "not favorable" to the headscarf in universities.
Whatever one thinks of what symbolizes the veil, we can not endorse the establishment of
an additional discrimination for a fraction of students, minority on campuses. As to lend
them anti-feminist views, would it be primarily discussed with them, and especially to
remember that nobody has a monopoly of reactionary opinions.
The Alternative libertarian position on this is clear: neither law nor veil , which means
that we are fighting all laws that exclude veiled women from the public space, while
vis-à-vis critical of what may symbolize the veil. But at a time when women are physically
and verbally abused for wearing the veil, it is urgent to tint our feminist
intersectionality and seek to form struggles against the reactionary forces, religious or
not, that mean women how they should dress and behave.
Auréline (AL Toulouse)
WHAT THE INTERSECTIONALITY?
This concept is an issue of American sociology, specifically a feminist and black American
sociologist Kimberly Creenshaw, and movement of black feminists ( "black feminism ).
From a theoretical point of view, this is to understand how the multiple discrimination
that some people can live produce new oppressions, eg a black sociologist is discriminated
as a woman, and as black, which instead in a different situation of oppression of his
neighbor who is a cashier but white and therefore discriminated against as a woman and as
a proletarian.
In practice, this means that feminist struggles must take into account the different
situations of women and not to refer to the dominant category of women, namely the white
upper classes. This does not mean that we must fight each of our side, but together
against all forms of discrimination that women experience, whether related to their
sexuality, religion, skin color, social class ...
[1] "Déferlante veils at university" (sic) Jean Paul Brighelli, Le Point, October 3, 2014
[2] "To fight against the veil at university, a fight for women" in Libération, 12 March
2015. For an alternative view: "Against the veil at university, or against some students?
"In Libération, March 8, 2015
http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Point-de-vue-Voile-a-l-universite
