At the Crossroads of Narratives Identity Formation Among Maghrebin Women in France and Christian Mission

Realities and narratives which shape the identity of Maghrebin women living in or migrating to France have been minimally explored for purposes of informing mission theory and practice in this religiously plural yet secularized nation. This paper offers an exploration of lived realities and ideological narratives that Maghrebin women maneuver in the contested nexus of secular French life and ethno-religious identity. The paper accomplishes this by examining how gendered, migrant, ethno-religious, and racialized encounters shape Maghrebin women. The paper then demonstrates how French nationalism and la laicite actively inform lived realities of Maghrebin women. The paper then presents the French national education system as a case study indicating how French nationalism is codified and perpetuated so that Maghrebin women are excluded from public space. The paper then provides reflection on Christian mission theory in light of Maghrebin women's oft-contested identities in the hope of invoking more substantial reflection on Christian mission and witness in contemporary France and other centers of migration.