The Burqa Affair Across Europe ― Between Public and Private Space

In recent years, the wearing of the full-face veil or burqa/niqab has proved a controversial issue in many multi-cultural European societies. Focussing on the socio-legal and human rights angle, this volume provides a useful comparative perspective on how the issue has been dealt with across a range of European states as well as at European institutional level. In so doing, the work draws a theoretical framework for the place of religion between public and private space. With contributions from leading experts from law, sociology and politics, the book presents a comparative and interdisciplinary approach to one of the most contentious and symbolic issues of recent times.

Alessandro Ferrari teaches Law and Religion and Comparative Religious Laws at the University of Insubria (Como-Varese) and is also a member of the Groupe SociActAcs, Religions, LaA¯citAcs (GSRL-CNRS/A?cole Pratique des Hautes A?tudes-Sorbonne) and of Centre Prisme Politique, Religion, Institutions et SociActAcs : Mutations EuropAcennes of Strasbourg. He is the coordinator of the Inter-University project 'New Religious Presences' (www.fidr.it ) and member of the Conferenza Permanente Religioni, Cultura e Integrazione at the Italian Ministry for International Cooperation and Integration. His main research interests focus on the present changes of the right of religious freedom in the globalized context. His latest book is Diritto e Religione nella€?Islam Mediterraneo (Law and Religion in Mediterranean Islam) (Il Mulino, Bologna, 2012). Sabrina Pastorelli is Research Fellow at the Institute of International Law - section of Ecclesiastical and Canon Law - University of Milan, Faculty of Law. She is also a member of the Groupe SociActAcs, Religions, LaA¯citAcs (GSRL-CNRS/A?cole Pratique des Hautes A?tudes-Sorbonne) and the Centre Politique, Religion, Institutions et SociActAcs : Mutations EuropAcennes (PRISME-CNRS/University of Strasbourg). She teaches sociology of religion and political sociology at the University of Caen. Her research interests include sociology of religion; new religious movements; law and religion in the Europe; religious education; regulation of religious pluralism; state public policy and religion. She is a member of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion (ISSR), the Association internationale des sociologues de langue franA§aise (AISLF), the Italian Sociological Association (AIS), the Association for the Sociology of Religion (ASR).