Over the last few decades, politicians in Europe and North America have fiercely debated the effects of a growing Muslim minority on their respective national identities. Some of these countries have prohibited Islamic religious coverings in public spaces and institutions, while in others, legal restriction remains subject to intense political conflict. Seeking to understand these different outcomes, social scientists have focused on the role of countries' historically rooted models of nationhood and their attendant discourses of secularism. Emily Laxer's Unveiling the Nation problematizes this approach. Using France and Quebec as illustrative cases, she traces how the struggle of political parties for power and legitimacy shapes states' responses to Islamic signs. Drawing on historical evidence and behind-the-scenes interviews with politicians and activists, Laxer uncovers unseen links between structures of partisan conflict and the strategies that political actors employ when
2. Descriptions
Over the last few decades, politicians in Europe and North America have fiercely debated
the effects of a growing Muslim minority on their respective national identities. Some of these
countries have prohibited Islamic religious coverings in public spaces and institutions, while in
others, legal restriction remains subject to intense political conflict. Seeking to understand these
different outcomes, social scientists have focused on the role of countries' historically rooted
models of nationhood and their attendant discourses of secularism. Emily Laxer's Unveiling the
Nation problematizes this approach. Using France and Quebec as illustrative cases, she traces
how the struggle of political parties for power and legitimacy shapes states' responses to Islamic
signs. Drawing on historical evidence and behind-the-scenes interviews with politicians and
activists, Laxer uncovers unseen links between structures of partisan conflict and the strategies
that political actors employ when
