This article examines the formation of pious commitment within the Union des organisations islamiques de France (UOIF), renamed Musulmans de France in 2017, one of the country's leading Muslim federations. It aims to document the ideas and practices of individuals labelled as "Muslim Brothers", and, in so doing, to defuse a moral panic surrounding contemporary Islam. Theoretically, the article reconsiders the relationship between piety and political engagement, by analyzing how virtuous conduct is cultivated as a means of collective transformation. Drawing on a corpus of documents supplemented by interviews, it reconstructs the socialising mechanisms at work within the UOIF's study circles (halaq & amacr;t). The article highlights both the leadership's efforts to instill doctrinal and militant cohesion, and the spaces of (in)discipline that members navigate in this enveloping institution. Ultimately, these study circles contribute to a critical reinterpretation of the UOIF's Brotherhood legacy and help structure an elite "entre-soi", grounded in social exemplarity and worldly engagement.
This article looks at the role of positions in French overseas departments, collectivities and territories within the careers of prefects and sub-prefects. We analyze the current distribution of these positions within the corps and careers. Is it a question of specific experience or specialization? What impact, if any, do these positions have on career development? What are the profiles of the prefects or sub-prefects working in these areas? Our analysis combines quantitative analysis of administrative data and qualitative analysis of a corpus of interviews. We show that these experiences are both relatively commonplace and rare in careers that focus on the "metropolis" (mainland France). They do not automatically confer advantages or disadvantages, unless senior officials make a specific investment. Despite the reconfiguration of statutes and modes of administration that these territories have undergone since the departmentalization of 1946, our analysis highlights the existence of continuities with the colonial era of the Third Republic in the distinctions in profiles recruited for these ex-colonies and in the way these functions are envisaged, both from the point of view of (sub-) prefects and that of the prefectorial institution.
This article examines the religious and political interdependencies in the Yiddish-speaking Jewish communist community in France in the 20th century. It draws mainly on two types of sources, which offer two perspectives on the subject. First, militant autobiographies written retrospectively by activists or former activists who look back on their transition from Judaism to communism and emphasise their break with religion. Second, associative and political archives allow us to address the persistence of religious discourse, vocabulary and references in a collective, militant and public setting. Although religion and its representatives are often presented as repellents, they remain present in Jewish communist discourse and are even sometimes integrated into rituals, particularly commemorations. In conclusion, a third type of source is mentioned: through interviews with the children of activists, a further study could examine the persistence of religious habits and practices in the private and family sphere. By drawing on these sources, the aim would be to circumvent the limitations inherent in the two previous types of sources, namely militant and public discourse, which often implies a break with religion.
This article examines how victims of clerical child sexual abuse are reconfiguring their relationship to the Church and their Catholic identity, in the context of the creation of the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE). Established by the Church to "shed light" on such violence, the CIASE marks a turning point in their public recognition. The disclosure of these long-silenced abuses has intensified distrust toward the Church, reflected in rising requests for debaptism and declining donations across many Western countries. Yet testimonies gathered by the commission reveal that, despite this growing alienation, many victims, upon reaching adulthood, continue to express expectations toward an institution they perceive as deeply flawed. Among those who have not fully disaffiliated, a form of belonging often persists, requiring adjustments to beliefs, identification with Catholicism, and levels of commitment to the Church. Finally, some accounts highlight activist engagement aimed at internal reform, suggesting a paradoxical attachment that endures despite the suffering experienced.
This introduction engages with religious affiliation as an evolving phenomenon, shaped by individual life trajectories and social and political experiences. It builds on research examining religion's permeability to these experiences and shifts focus to ordinary adjustments, where literature often emphasizes ruptures or views religion as stable. It draws on contributions from this special issue that use qualitative data and archival materials. It analyzes methodological challenges in capturing adjustments, shows that reconfigurations are multidimensional by distinguishing identification, belief, and engagement across different timeframes, examines mediations, and explores how gender and class structure shape and provide resources in distinct ways.
