Caroline Fourest (; born 19 September 1975), is a French
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
writer, film director, journalist, radio presenter at ''
France Culture
France Culture is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France. Its programming encompasses a wide variety of features on historical, philosophical, sociopolitical, and scientific themes (including debates, discussions, and documentari ...
'', and editor of the magazine ''ProChoix.'' She was also a columnist for ''
Charlie Hebdo
''Charlie Hebdo'' (; meaning ''Charlie Weekly'') is a French satirical weekly magazine, featuring cartoons, reports, polemics, and jokes. Stridently non-conformist in tone, the publication has been described as Anti-racism, anti-racist, sceptica ...
'', for ''
Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'' until 14 July 2012, and she joined ''
Marianne
Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty.
Marianne is displayed i ...
'' in 2016.
Education and career
A graduate in
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
and
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
, Fourest has written many books about the
conservative right, the
anti-abortion
Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...
movement (France and USA), and contemporary
fundamentalist
Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...
trends in
Abrahamic religions
The Abrahamic religions are a group of religions centered around worship of the God of Abraham. Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch, is extensively mentioned throughout Abrahamic religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran.
Jewish tradition ...
. She also began serving as the President of the Gay and Lesbian Center in 1999.
In March 2006, Fourest signed
MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism, a manifesto opposing Islamist totalitarianism that gained wide publicity. The other eleven signatories include
Salman Rushdie
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Wes ...
,
Ibn Warraq
Ibn Warraq is the pen name of an anonymous author critical of Islam. He is the founder of the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society and used to be a senior research fellow at the Center for Inquiry, focusing on Quranic criticis ...
,
Maryam Namazie
Maryam Namazie ( fa, مریم نمازی; born 1966) is a British-Iranian secularist, communist and human rights activist, commentator, and broadcaster.
Early life
Most of her early work focused on refugee rights, especially in Sudan, Turkey, ...
,
Taslima Nasreen
Taslima Nasrin (born 25 August 1962) is a Bangladeshi-Swedish writer, physician, feminist, secular humanist, and activist. She is known for her writing on women's oppression and criticism of religion. Some of her books are banned in Bangladesh ...
, and
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali (; ; Somali: ''Ayaan Xirsi Cali'':'' Ayān Ḥirsī 'Alī;'' born Ayaan Hirsi Magan, ar, أيان حرسي علي / ALA-LC: ''Ayān Ḥirsī 'Alī'' 13 November 1969) is a Somali-born Dutch-American activist and former politicia ...
.
Fourest has received several political awards for her work, including the National Award of "Laïcité" in 2005, and the "Award of the political book" in 2006.
She is an honorary associate of the National Secular Society,
She is an advisory board member of the
Anna Lindh
Ylva Anna Maria Lindh (19 June 1957 – 11 September 2003) was a Swedish Social Democratic politician and lawyer who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1998 until her death. She was also a Member of the Riksdag (member of parliament) f ...
Foundation, an organization focused on intercultural dialogue.
Fourest has opposed far right
FN politician
Marine Le Pen
Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician who ran for the French presidency in 2012, 2017, and 2022. A member of the National Rally (RN; previously the National Front, FN), she served as its pre ...
and her politics in a book co-authored with Fiammetta Venner. She is the author of ''Frère Tariq'' ("Brother Tariq" 2008), a critical look at the works of Muslim
intellectual
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...
Tariq Ramadan
Tariq Ramadan ( ar, طارق رمضان, ; born 26 August 1962) is a Swiss Muslim academic, philosopher, and writer. He was a professor of contemporary Islamic studies at St Antony's College, Oxford and the Faculty of Theology and Religion, Univ ...
, the central charges of which she and Mr. Ramadan later debated.
In 2014 the
Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel
The (, ''lit.'' ''Superior Audiovisual Council''), abbreviated CSA, was a French institution created in 1989 whose role was to regulate the various electronic media in France, such as radio and television. The creation of the was a measure foun ...
, the institution regulating the media in France, accuses Caroline Fourest of lack of rigor and unverified statements in her reporting of the
Russo-Ukrainian War
The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatist forces in Donbas, Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since Feb ...
.
Defamation accusations
In October 2012, Caroline Fourest was sentenced to pay a fine of 800 euros and 3300 euros respectively in damages for libel against
Marine Le Pen
Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician who ran for the French presidency in 2012, 2017, and 2022. A member of the National Rally (RN; previously the National Front, FN), she served as its pre ...
,
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (, born 20 June 1928) is a French far-right politician who served as President of the National Front from 1972 to 2011. He also served as Honorary President of the National Front from 2011 to 2015.
Le Pen graduated fro ...
and Franck Chauffroy in a biography she wrote titled ''Marine Le Pen''.
In October 2014, Fourest suggested that a racist attack on 17 year old Muslim girl Rabia Bentot in 2013 could have been fabricated or that if it was real, Bentot's family could have been responsible. Fourest was subsequently accused of libel and ordered to pay 6,000 euros. The verdict has been appealed and overturned since the accusation was made after the three-month legal delay. Bentot was ordered to pay back to Caroline Fourest 4,000 euros for wrongful legal action.
Works
Books
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* L'Islamophobie Jérôme Blanchet-Gravel (dir.) et Éric Debroise (codir.), éditions Dialogue Nord-Sud, 2016, 250 p.
* Géneration offensée. De la police de la culture à la police de la pensée, 2020.
Filmography
* ''Sœur Innocenta, priez pour nous !'', medium-length documentary co-directed with Fiammetta Venner.
* ''Safia et Sarah'', short film, 18 minutes (2004).
* ''Hymen : certifiées vierges'', documentary (''
Envoyé spécial
''Envoyé spécial'' (English: Special correspondent) is a French television weekly investigative newsmagazine show that has run on channel France 2
France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France ...
'',
France 2
France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews.
Since 3:20 CET on 7 ...
, 2008).
* ''La Bataille des droits de l'homme'', documentary (
Arte
Arte (; (), sometimes stylized in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture.
It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE, plus ...
, 2009).
* ''Des Petits Soldats contre l'avortement'', documentary (
Canal+
Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...
, 2011).
* ''Marine Le Pen, l'héritière'', documentary co-directed with Fiammetta Venner (
France 2
France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews.
Since 3:20 CET on 7 ...
, 2011).
* ''100 Muslim women talk about themselves'', documentary series of 20 episodes co-directed with Fiammetta Venner (
France 24
France 24 ( in French) is a French state-owned international news television network based in Paris. Its channels broadcast in French, English, Arabic, and Spanish and are aimed at the overseas market.
Based in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-M ...
, 2011).
* ''Nos seins, nos armes !'' (''Our breasts, our weapons!''), documentary about
Femen co-directed and co-written with
Nadia El Fani
Nadia El Fani ( ar, نادية الفاني; born 1960 in Paris), is a French-Tunisian film director, screenwriter and producer. She has primarily directed documentary films about human rights, women's rights, secularism, and criticism of religion. ...
(
France 2
France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews.
Since 3:20 CET on 7 ...
, 2013)
* ''Les Réseaux de l'extrême'', documentary series in four parts: ''Les Obsédés du complot'', ''Les Radicaux de l'islam'', ''Les Enragés de l'identité'' and ''Les Naufragés de Sion'' (
France 5
France 5 () is a French free-to-air public television channel, part of the France Télévisions group. Principally featuring educational programming, the channel's motto is ''la chaîne de la connaissance et du savoir'' (the knowledge network). ...
, 2013).
* ''Cahiers de doléances'', documentary series in 9 parts: (
LCP, 2013).
* ''
Sisters in Arms'', a war-drama film (2019) based on real events (''Red Snake'' was the working title).
References
External links
Caroline Fourest's blog(in English)
Caroline Fourest's blog(in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fourest, Caroline
1975 births
21st-century French women writers
French anti-racism activists
Charlie Hebdo people
Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
French critics of Islam
French feminists
Lesbian feminists
French lesbian writers
LGBT journalists from France
LGBT rights activists from France
Living people
People from Aix-en-Provence
Secularism in France
Women civil rights activists
21st-century LGBT people