Paper's abstract

Nicolas Baverez, The principle of laïcité confronted to the shocks and crisis of the 21th century
The principle of laïcité build a community of citizens from a double wager, very demanding on the individual reason of a State that embodies the general interest. Its questioning fit at the confluence of the great transformations which are redefining the functioning of democracies and of the identity crisis France is going through. Hence the necessary reinvention of laïcité, dulling the new declination of citizenship at a global, European and national level allowing to bring back together the existence of universal rights and values on the one hand and the plurality of culture and the diversity of religions on the other.


Key Words : democracy, citizenship, identity crisis
t. 48, 2004 : p. 249-255