Villa Gillet - Rhône-Alpes - recherches contemporaines

John Bowen is an anthropologist and professor at Washington University in St. Louis. A specialist in Islamic studies, he is particularly interested in the situation of Muslims in France, publishing, among others, two acclaimed books: Why the French Don’t Like Headscarves: Islam, the State and Public Space (Princeton University Press, 2007) and Can Islam Be French? Pluralism and Pragmatism in a Secularist State (Princeton University Press, 2009). A field survey of the everyday concerns of Muslims in a secular society, the latter essay benefits from both the distance and insight of an American scholar on the conflict between society and religion in France.