Power unveiled · Power unveiled: Muslim women participation in European civic and political life

This project intends to challenge assumptions of passivity among women of Muslim background and to investigate their participation in European civic and political life. The purpose of the project is to uncover how these women constitute themselves as social actors in the life of the cite. It is based on a comparison between three countries, Britain, France and Spain through in-depth empirical research. One additional original component of the project is its methodological approach: sociological intervention (as established by Alain Touraine). The project will examine the different modes of participation and action as staged by the women in the three countries; the axes and meaning of their action; the key issues that mobilise them; the associations wherein they take part. It will point to the constraints and enabling factors which influence their action, the type of interaction they pursue with their own communities and with wider society. It will analyse the innovative strategies they develop within a broad understanding of civic and political participation. It will contribute badly needed knowledge to inform European Union policy-makers about the construction of Europe from below and how to best promote the participation of an often neglected group for an improved social cohesion.