Reporting “risk of radicalization” in schools in Fance: A new tool for regulating Islam

Based on the study of reports for “risk of radicalization” in schools, this paper questions the inherent normativity of the publiques policy aimed at preventing radicalization in France and its impact on student behaviour. The analysis of reasons for reports highlights the existence of different constructions of “risk” based on teachers’ subjective perceptions, applying either to the situation experienced by the student or to the student themselves. A new tool for regulating religion in school, the obligation for school staff to report students believed to pose a risk works as an incentive for adjusting students behaviour toward school increasingly being considered as a secular haven. Beyond this, by examining everyday pedagogy, the paper shows that reports are part of a broader effort to transform the subjectivities of adolescents and children in deeper way.