Overview
- The Fondation Jean-Jaurès released a 200‑plus‑page volume, Que vive la laïcité!, coordinated by Hadrien Brachet, Iannis Roder, Laurence Rossignol and Milan Sen, compiling roughly 50 contributions on history and present-day practice.
- Columnist Thomas Legrand argues the 1905 settlement now has many adversaries and few advocates in public debate, challenging the balance originally crafted by Briand, Clemenceau and Jaurès.
- Milan Sen reports a widening generational divide over secularism, with younger cohorts interpreting or contesting core premises differently from their elders.
- Coverage contrasts France’s strict state neutrality with Anglo‑American pluralist models, a gap that fuels misunderstandings over issues such as religious signs in schools and free expression.
- Abroad, laïcité both draws criticism and inspires adaptations, with examples including Québec’s 2019 law, Belgium’s recognition of laïcité as a philosophy of life, and references in Tunisia, Vietnam and EU debates.