France
Struggling To Be Heard
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.
Liberty, Equality, Sorority
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.
The French Left Is United, Not for the First Time
Just a few days after Macron’s explosive dissolution of the National Assembly, 25 parties on the French left chose unity, forming the New Popular Front to counter the risk of a far-right majority. But what, if anything, can be learned from the first Popular Front of the 1930s?
The Medieval Practice of Fire Cutting Is Finding Its Way Into French Hospitals
For centuries, a secret form of healing called fire cutting has been practiced in France as a way to soothe burns and other irritations. After 200 years underground, it is reemerging in a surprising location: hospitals.
Paris Police Are Cracking Down on Vulnerable Communities Ahead of the Olympics
Earlier this year, 17 organizations issued a report accusing French authorities of “forcefully” evicting vulnerable communities across Paris ahead of the Olympic Games, including sex workers. They mentioned “increased repression” by authorities, warning of detrimental consequences for the safety and well-being of women.