France has in recent years emerged as a bellwether for worldwide anxieties around postcolonialism and multiculturalism, and the rise of right-wing populism. This book offers a detailed exploration of the dynamics and dilemmas of the present moment of crisis and hope in France through an exploration of a number of recent moral panics. Paul Silverstein here examines urban racial violence, female Islamic dress and male public prayer, anti-system gangster rap, and sports—all of which have triggered major national debates over France’s multicultural future. Silverstein shows convincingly that these conflicts can be traced back to unresolved tensions around France's imperial project, the present-day effects of which are still being felt.
 

Paul Silverstein is professor of anthropology at Reed College in Oregon.

— Hisham Aidi, author of Rebel Music: Race. Empire and the New Muslim Youth Culture (Pantheon), winner of the American Book Award in 2015

— Moustafa Bayoumi, author of How Does It Feel To be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America

— Olivier Esteves, Lille III University

— Hisham Aidi, author of Rebel Music: Race, Empire and the New Muslim Youth Culture