Pascale Fournier contributes to a publication on Quebec securalism

Professor Fournier authors a chapter in “Penser la laïcité québécoise: Fondements et défense d’une laïcité ouverte au Québec”, a collective work published by Presses de l’Université de Laval  and directed by Sébastien Lévesque.

Inspired by heated debates surrounding the project for a Quebec Charter of values, this book brings together many influential voices, from various disciplines, to demystify the pillars of Quebec’s laïcité and the myriad challenges our model faces in the context of multiculturalism. This collaborative effort allows for the pursuit of an important dialogue on the fundamental principles on which our secular society is founded and the mechanisms that regulate our vivre-ensemble.

Pascale Fournier’s contribution offers a critical discussion of the feminist arguments that were voiced in support of a potential Charter of Quebec Values. Professor Fournier proceeds to analyze the discursive chains prevalent in its abundant media coverage and to challenge the myths underlying such rhetoric. Her chapter discusses the limits of a dominant feminist position by deconstructing three of its defining assumptions : an inaccurate understanding of veiling practices among Muslim women, a partial appreciation of patriarchy in minority religions and an instrumentalization of the Quiet Revolution’s heritage.

An official launch of the publication will take place at Librairie le port de tête , in Montreal, on January 15, 2015 at 6pm and the book will be in stores as of January 14th.