France
‘Comfort Women’ of the Campagne
After World War II, France outlawed prostitution and shut more than a thousand brothels within its borders. But the army, which had thousands of North African troops to demobilize, set up its own secret brothels and trafficked women, often against their will, to service the troops.
The Georges Abdallah Affair
“Once a terrorist, always a terrorist?” The question has hovered over Georges Abdallah during his four decades in prison — not least because many do not believe he ever was one. With his release, France is once again fiercely debating what his incarceration means.
In Paris, Arab Music Is a Form of Protest
Last May, I attended a special concert by the duo Bedouin Burger at the City of Paris Museum of Modern Art, titled “A Nomad Ballad.” The celestial voice of Syrian singer Lynn Adib filled the air at the exhibition, which was dedicated to Arab artists. By her side was her…
How One Woman in France Is Battling the System That Was Meant To Protect Her
Foreign women who become victims of sexual violence in France face huge barriers in seeking justice and safety. Institutions take control of their lives while society tends to minimize their experiences, much as it does in many of the women’s home countries.
Gisele Pelicot: Finding Sisterhood at France’s Mass Rape Trial
Gisele Pelicot’s decision to make public the horrific details of her abuse has transformed her into a reluctant icon, galvanizing a movement of collective reckoning. The mass rape trial taking place in Avignon is not just a pursuit of justice; it is a crucible of solidarity and sisterhood.
The French Soldiers Who Disobeyed Orders in Algeria
The atrocities committed by the French army are still rarely publicly acknowledged in France today. Even less discussed are those within the military’s ranks who, confronted with these horrors, defied orders, refused to participate or supported the Algerians.
France’s Most Famous Astronomer Was Also a Ghost Hunter
At a time when spirit mediums, levitating tables and haunted houses were wildly popular phenomena, Camille Flammarion, then France’s most famous scientist, sought to separate fact from fiction. His research still holds lessons for today’s world.