Secularism today: challenges and prospects 120 years after the 1905 law

The law establishing the separation of church and state (December 9, 1905) is 120 years old. While it provided a clear answer to the question it sought to resolve—that of the relationship between the state and religious actors within society—confusion still reigns in public debate and in the public mind, as it is renewed by new issues and the self-interested mobilization of certain actors in this debate.

Under these circumstances, the original secularism of 1905 is invoked here, challenged there, and elsewhere drawn toward new meanings by a disoriented public opinion. 120 years after the initial law, how can we analyze the new challenges, observe and understand the changes so that everyone (and in particular public service and university employees) can position themselves in their profession and in their role as citizens?

A conference-debate reserved for UM staff and students, offered as part of the 120th anniversary of the law separating church and state by Jean-Paul Udave, Secularism Advisor at the University of Montpellier, and organized by the Campus Life Department.