From Secularism to Public Order: Identity Politics and the Idea of Muslim Solidarity in France

Activity Type: 
Lecture
Promo Image: 
Presenter: 
Kirsten Wesselhoeft, Vassar College
Date: 
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - 16:30 to 17:45
Event Status: 
As Scheduled
Location: 
4303 Posvar Hall
Contact Person: 
Erica Edwards
Contact Email: 
eee36@pitt.edu
Event Web Site: 
https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/esc/events/air
Cost: 
free

As part of the Unmasking Prejudice: Confronting Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Racism Across Europe
Spring Lecture Series

Lecture Summary: TBD

About the Speaker:
Kirsten Wesselhoeft is associate professor of religion at Vassar College. She is a scholar of contemporary Islam, drawing on ethnography and political analysis to study Muslim thought and culture in contexts shaped by colonial encounters and secular liberalism. Her first book, Fraternal Critique: The Politics of Muslim Community in France (Chicago, 2025), shows how young engaged Muslims use disagreement and dissent to cultivate community, a value that is in turn stigmatized by political elites. Her scholarly writing has
appeared in Political Theology, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and Sociology of Islam, among other journals.

Please note a change in room

UCIS Unit: 
European Studies Center
European Union Center of Excellence
Other Pitt Sponsors: 
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Department of French and Italian Department of History Department of German Department of Religious Studies Jewish Studies Program
Non-University Sponsors: 
Center for Black European Studies and the Atlantic
Carnegie Mellon University
Is Event Already in University Calendar?: 
No
Pitt Undergrads: 
6
Pitt Grad Students: 
1