This introduction discusses the current situation in France in the light of the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and the Hypercacher supermarket in January 2015. I demonstrate how the attacks have reinforced tensions relating to the implementation of laïcité and the respect for diverse religious value systems. The papers in this special issue are taken from a conference on contemporary citizenship after Charlie Hebdo, which was initially cancelled due to concerns about security, and then reinstated. This introduction goes on to consider the why and wherefore of the conference cancellation, asking what this shows us about current attitudes towards terrorism, and how we should respond.
ApterE (2013) Against World Literature: On the Politics of Untranslatability. London: Verso.
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BadinterE (2016) Elisabeth Badinter appelle au boycott des marques qui se lancent dans la mode islamique, propos recueillis par Nicolas Truong. Le Monde, 2April.
