“France is grappling with séparatisme, which the government has targeted as
incompatible with French republican principles and is now sanctioned
under a new law. Crucially for scholars and teachers of French, debates
about séparatisme reflect substantial cultural differences between France
and the United States that can, without sufficient context, lead to errors in
translation. This article proffers the meanings of séparatisme, its close
cousin laïcité, and related terms based on cultural insights into French
society. The lexical history and legacy of these terms are further considered
in comparative context, namely regarding American separation of church
and state.“

Photo: Michele Neylon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mneylon/6561474487)