French schools' ban on abayas and headscarves is supposedly about secularism − but it sends a powerful message about who 'belongs' in French culture
- Written by Carol Ferrara, Anthropologist & Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing Communication, Emerson College
Residents watch French air force jets fly over a Paris suburb during the Bastille Day military parade on July 14, 2023.AP Photo/Youcef BounabFrance’s decision to ban public school students from wearing the abaya – a long dress or robe popular among women in certain Muslim cultures – and the male equivalent, the qamis, has faced...





