Education in secular France: (re)defininglaïcité

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Abstract
The concept of laïcité stands at the heart of French identity and denotes the non‐confessional nature of the State, as enshrined in the 1905 Loi de Séparation des Églises et de l'État. The theoretical principles of laïcité remain as detailed in the 1905 law, but its practical application and exploitation over the years suggest that it is limiting to define laïcité purely in terms of the clear‐cut separation of Church and State. Through an examination of the aims and impact of laïcité with regard to the education system from Jules Ferry's école de la République to the system of the 1990s, this article argues that laïcité is an elastic rather than an immutable concept which has undergone a series of evolutionary stages, each of which can be linked to the prevailing socio‐political context, and which is currently facing new challenges as the end of the 20th century approaches.

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