ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book investigates the writings of French Muslim women whose voices were actively excluded from the affair and continue to be marginalized in public debate. It examines representations of Muslim women in writing by French women of the colonial era. The book then examines how representations of Muslim women as victims or veiled threats shape the production and reception of writing by French women of Muslim or North African origin. It also considers literary texts, specifically: Ce pays dont je meurs by Fawzia Zouari, and Moze and 'Musulman' Roman by Zahia r ahmani. In Muslim and non-Muslim feminists and activists view, mainstream feminisms in France are both failing to represent the diverse experiences of French women, and failing to address sexism that endures at the heart of French society, by constructing conservative notions of womanhood as an ideal for all to aspire to.
