{Looking past what meets the eye}

It’s official, I can die happy now…on day three in Paris I completed the number one item on my bucket list by eating a crêpe underneath the Eiffel Tower.

Was it a cliché? 100% yes. Do I have any regrets? 100% no. Call me basic, but when I signed up for this study abroad program, the thought of having classic French moments like these is really what drove my decision. When I looked at Paris and tried to visualize my trip, this is what I saw:

France, like any culture, is much more than just what came to mind though. One of the topics that has fascinated me during our discussion is the concept of counter narrative. In short, counter narrative is when a member of a minority group tells their own story as opposed to letting it be told for them by the majority or the elite members of a society.

As previously mentioned, there is a large population of Muslims in Paris who are often seen as a minority group. Some members of society accept them without second thought while others see them as outsiders who have failed to integrate into French culture. Unfortunately, the voices of this latter frame of thought are much louder than the first. Jennifer Fredette discusses this in her book Constructing Muslims in France:

Let us look at more qualitative measures: How are Muslims depicted in the media?…The overall pattern that is instantly recognizable is a frame of “integration.” Have Muslims integrated into France or not? While roughly 41 percent of mentions of Muslims in the articles were neutral on this subject, 50 percent were framed by the subject of integration. In other words, half of all the media attention on Muslims in France concerned itself with whether Muslims have integrated into France. If every other reference to Muslims in the media that a French person reads presents this question, his or her understanding of Muslims in France may grow to include a vision of Muslims as somehow not completely French….

The overall frame of integration itself, whether Muslims are depicted as having integrated well or poorly into France, is not neutral. It suggests that the verdict is still out as to whether Muslims can be French. It also suggests that there is something unassimilable about these people that may prevent them from being good citizens.

With this kind of media attention, counter narrative is necessary for Muslims in France to begin breaking down such negative messages. One of the best examples I’ve found is in a website called Oumma (http://oumma.com). The site features news article, especially on global events related to Islam, written from the perspective of Muslims. The journalists that write for the website are taking charge of telling their own story as opposed to letting others tell it for them.

In view of the concept of counter narrative, it’s important to ask ourselves a few questions. Are we actively trying to see the world around us from different points of view? Do we seek to understand all sides of a story? How can we search out and find counter narrative sources to get this new perspective?

My challenge to you (and myself!) is to begin asking these questions on a more regular basis. I think we’ll all be amazed at how our world view can grow and change by seeking to understand different points of view as we see there’s more to the world than just crêpes under the Eiffel Tower.