Jews and Muslims in France
Jews and Muslims in France
France has the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in Europe. It was the first nation in Europe to proclaim the universal rights of man and to rein in the power of an established church, but nevertheless has had chronic problems with religious minorities. This lecture will explore the complex, triangular relationship between the French Republic and Jews and Muslims, tracing their experiences and interactions in both metropolitan France and the colonies through Vichy and decolonization and subsequently to the Gaza War.
Steven Philip Kramer is the author of Jews, Muslims and the French Republic and was until recently a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars. He served as Professor of History at National Defense University for thirty years and has also taught courses at Georgetown and SAIS. Kramer received a PhD from Princeton University and a BA from Brandeis University. His books include The Other Population Crisis: What Governments can do about Falling Birth Rates and Does France Still Count? He has published in such journals as Foreign Affairs, Politique Etrangère, and The National Interest. Dr. Kramer is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.