In 2003, Fadela Amara founded Ni Putes Ni Soumises (NPNS), a French feminist social movement that arose in the banlieues, or impoverished suburbs of Paris. Growing up in the banlieues as a child of Algerian immigrants, Amara became a fierce advocate for the underclass and was later appointed to a post in the French government headed by Nicolas Sarkozy. Led by Amara and devoted to equal rights and opportunities for everyone, NPNS is especially focused on improving conditions for Muslim immigrant women who often suffer from discrimination, violence, and repression.
Providing ample context and explanation of the NPNS movement for the first time for English-language readers, editors and translators Brittany Murray and Diane Perpich include unpublished materials from the movement's formative days when women spoke out about the difficulties and violence faced daily in France's ghettos. A discussion with the movement's founder provides additional information about immigration, discrimination, feminism, the headscarf affair, and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. Taking French Feminism to the Streets provides a penetrating analysis of the social, political, and economic conditions in France.
