Jews and Muslims, from Colonial France to the present day - mobile exhibition

France is home to the biggest Jewish and Muslim communities in Europe. That fact is largely the result of its colonial history.

The mobile exhibition Jews and Muslims from Colonial France to the Present Day presents a new and documented look at the history of relations between Jews and Muslims in France, revealing the essential role played by France and the State in the transformation of those relations in North Africa and Metropolitan France.

It focuses on both the similarities and differences inherent in these relations, for a better grasp of the stakes and challenges of the present day.

• Present a fresh vision and a new historical perspective on relations between Jews and Muslims, supported by the latest research findings, and within a specific geographic and time framework: Colonial North Africa and Metropolitan France, from the 19th century to the present day.
• Understand the key role played by the colonial State in the evolution of these relations, notably through the attribution of different types of status and the implementation of education policies in French.
• Approach the topic from several angles and better understand the links between individual experiences and historic events.
• Show the diversity of realities and of individual and collective journeys covered by the terms “Muslim” and “Jewish”.
• Take a step back from a subject that is frequently in the news today, and consider the influence of collective memory.