Minorities In, Minorities Out: Cemeteries, Religious Diversity and the French Body Politic in Contemporary and Historical Perspective

Abstract This chapter focuses on religious diversity and cemeteries in France, comparing historical practice with the contemporary management of death diversity. Its starting point is present-day intransigence local authorities creating space for Muslims French municipal cemeteries. The proceeds to link these manifestations perspectives. In earlier times, Jews, Protestants free-thinkers were regularly denied burial as equals cemeteries, sometimes expelled entirely from ( refus de sépulture ). laicising state nineteenth century intervened ensure equality by extension full membership body politic. second part paper argues that today’s refusal create Muslim sections constitutes a modern-day which harms social harmony cohesion. Nonetheless, scale at this rejection takes place different magnitude: not removal consecrated cemetery, but potentially complete ejection national territory, perverse effects integration migrant-origin communities. based qualitative fieldwork undertaken France 2016, drawing semi-structured interviews representatives, funerary professionals politicians, combined an analysis secondary sources presentation