Intersectionality and the Politics of Feminist Coalition in Times of Crisis

This paper analyzes coalition efforts in times of crisis. It investigates how in two contrasting national contexts, France and Québec, the issue of legislating and regulating Muslim veiling and in particular full Muslim veiling led to opposite types of intersectional coalition. Proposals to legislate and to regulate Muslim women’s veiling have stirred enormous controversies across the Atlantic, leading to conflicts, tensions and falling outs within and between women’s rights organizations. However, in both contexts feminist organizations also shaped contrasting types of coalitions. While in Québec the national organization representing women’s rights managed to take an inclusive approach, despite opposition from other feminist organizations, in France, despite a middle ground position adopted by the national coalition for women’s rights, many important feminist organizations have opted in favor of prohibitive measures, preventing any coalition with Muslim women’s organizations. As a result, in France Muslim women built a coalition with human rights activists and Muslim organizations rather than with women’s rights organizations. Drawing on this comparison this paper analyzes the dynamics of social movements coalition in the face of intersectional challenges. It shows how in both contexts, the broader social movement landscape, in particular the women’s movements’ historical relationships with the radical left organizations in France and with international women’s rights coalitions in Québec, shapes contrasting structures of opportunities for women’s rights organizations, and distinctive coalitions tactics and outcomes.