ABSTRACT
Introduction So how did women of the banlieues respond? In this chapter I will examine the testimony of gang rape victim Samira Bellil. This will be followed in the next chapter by an analysis of the banlieue women’s organisation with which she was associated, Ni Putes Ni Soumises (NPNS). As I stated in my introduction to the discussion of Tegan Wagner’s book in Chapter 2 , I wish to begin by reasserting the respect I have for Bellil. While I am critical of her narrative I do not intend this to be a criticism of her or her right to speak. Rather I hope it will be apparent that my critique is rather of the conditions within which she is able to process her experience and then able to speak and be heard.
