Abstract
The aim of this chapter is two-fold: (1) to describe and explain the philosophical rationale, the raison d’être that underpins the very existence of Charlie Hebdo as a satirical journalistic periodical; and (2) to present a number of theoretical perspectives that serve as frameworks for understanding diverse conceptualizations and interpretations of the Charlie Hebdo affair in different jurisdictions and geographies of freedom of expression. The chapter argues that the French assimilationist ideology, rather than ethnic or religious animosity, was the driving force behind the controversial Charlie Hebdo Mohammed cartoons. Indeed, the exoteric or visible religiosity of practicing French Muslims goes against the dogma of French secular republicanism and its assimilationist logic, which holds that religion should be a private matter that has no place in the public sphere. French assimilationist ideology is, by definition, a rejection of multiculturalism, multiple cultural affiliations, and declarations of ethnic and cultural difference.
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Eko, L. (2019). Journalistic (Battle)fields, Cultures, Mentalities, and Proximities. In: The Charlie Hebdo Affair and Comparative Journalistic Cultures. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18079-9_2
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