‘Race’, sexualities and the French public intellectual: an interview with Eric Fassin

French academic Eric Fassin is interviewed about his work in the field of public sociology, particularly around race and sexuality, over the last two decades. He explains the background and context of intellectuals in France before moving on to the specifics of addressing firstly ‘race’, and secondly sexuality. He argues that 1989 and 2005 are the key turning points in public discourse on ‘race’. Prior to 1989, which saw the first of the ‘Headscarf crises’, ‘race’ was not dealt with explicitly, either in French colonial history or its postcolonial present. The headscarf crisis clarified the tensions within the republican tradition (in which people are formally divided only into French citizens and foreigners, rather than recognised as classes or ethnic groups). The discourse surrounding the riots of 2005 made this the other key year. The framing of debate was along the lines of discrimination (between French citizens) rather than integration (of foreigners into Frenchness), marking a shift towards an acceptance that racism was a social issue. Fassin coins the term ‘sexual democracy’ to encapsulate the distinction between characteristics that are immanent rather than transcendent, and argues that discourse about sexuality and families represents a conflict between those who see them as governed by the social, and those who see them as outside these norms, beyond the social

Gender and class in Britain and France

This article examines the treatment of women's oppression in feminist theory, focusing on the engagement of second wave feminists with the concept of class and its relation to gender. This examination is carried out with reference to British and French feminisms, identifying the main trends and shifts that have developed over the last 35 years and noting that while these are undoubtedly influenced by a particular national context they are also shaped by increasing European integration and social, political and cultural exchanges at a global level. The authors find evidence of a number of similarities in the questions that feminist theorists have asked in Britain and France but also demonstrate that there are significant differences. They conclude that areas of convergent theoretical interests will extend along with cross-border flows of peoples and information

Sur la notion de minorité

The term minority refers to two distinct semantic spheres ; one refers to a legal, customary definition, that of a state of diminished capacity — the other to a numerical definition (a smaller number). This explains the ambiguity in its usage. The latter is however (relatively) demarcated in social science as opposed to its opposite, majority. This dyssimetry of connotations obliges us to emphasize the relational nature of these concepts, rather than their designation of specific social groups.Le terme minorité renvoie à deux univers sémantiques distincts. L'un de définition juridico-coutumière (état de moindre capacité), l'autre de définition numérique (le moindre nombre). D'où l'ambiguïté de son usage. Celui-ci cependant est (relativement) délimité dans les sciences humaines, au contraire de son antonyme majorité. Cette dissymétrie des antonymes appelle à mettre l'accent, plutôt que sur la désignation de groupes sociaux déterminés, sur le caractère relationnel de ces notions.Guillaumin Colette. Sur la notion de minorité. In: L'Homme et la société, N. 77-78, 1985. Racisme, antiracisme, étranges, étrangers. pp. 101-109

Monique Wittig, The straight mind and other essays

Guillaumin Colette. Monique Wittig, The straight mind and other essays. In: Mots, n°49, décembre 1996. Textes et sexes, sous la direction de Colette Capitan et Catherine Viollet. pp. 127-130

Usages théoriques et usages banals du terme race

Guillaumin Colette. Usages théoriques et usages banals du terme race. In: Mots, n°33, décembre 1992. «Sans distinction de ... race», sous la direction de Simone Bonnafous, Bernard Herszberg et Jean-Jacques Israel. pp. 59-65

Femmes et théories de la société : remarques sur les effets thériques de la colère des opprimées

De ce qu'on appelle "théories de la société", toutes ont été, et sont, la forme intellectuelle de rapports sociaux déterminés. Selon l'auteur, l'entrée des minoritaires dans le domaine théorique produit un bouleversement des perspectives, une subversion. D'ailleurs, les premiers textes théoriques venant des minoritaires sont toujours disqualifiés et présentés comme des produits "politiques", des pamphlets, des propos terroristes. Cependant, ils finissent par l'intégration dans la théorie. Ainsi, l'absence des femmes dans les sciences humaines était l'un des effets des relations sociales de sexe. Pour les femmes, devenir un objet dans la théorie était la conséquence nécessaire de devenir un sujet dans l'histoire. L'auteur montre dans ce texte, comment les analyses des femmes ont déjà des conséquences théoriques visibles et importantes et d'autres, qui se révéleront ultérieurement.Of what have been called "theories of society", all have been and are the intellectual representations of specific social relationships. According to the author, the incursion of a minority group into the theoretical field produces an upset in perspectives - a subversion. The first theoretical texts produced by minority groups are always disqualified and presented as "political" representations, pamphlets, or terrorist positions. They end up, however, by being integrated into theory. The absence of women in the social sciences was, thus, one of the effects of social sexual relationships. Becoming an object of theory was the necessary consequence for women of becoming a subject of history. The author demonstrates in this text how studies by women have already had important and visible theoretical consequences, and will have others which will become evident with time.De lo que se ha llamado "teorías de la sociedad" todas han sido y son la forma intelectual de relaciones sociales determinadas. Según el autor, la entrada de la minoría en el campo teórico produce una conmoción de perspectivas, una subversión de estas. Por lo demás, los primeros textos teóricos procedentes de la minoría están siendo siempre descalificados y presentados como productos "políticos", como panfletos, como propósitos terroristas. Sin embargo terminan por integrarse a la teoría. De esta manera, la ausencia de las mujeres en las ciencias sociales era uno de los efectos de las relaciones sociales de sexo. Para las mujeres, convertirse en objeto en la teoría era la consecuencia necesaria de convertirse en sujeto en la historia. El autor muestra en este texto, como los análisis de las mujeres tienen ya consecuencias teóricas visibles e importantes y que otras ya se revelaran ulteriormente