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France & French Collections at the Library of Congress

Contemporary Issues in France

Like any country, France has social issues (les problèmes sociaux en France) that play out in both public discourse as well as their rich literary culture. Below are a selection of books that address some of the issues unique to France as well as issues that can be seen universally. These include the sexual exploitation of minors (France had no age of consent until 2018), racism, poverty in the banlieue, police brutality, immigration and reconciling with their colonial past, the concept of laïcité and its controversial implications for Muslims (especially Muslim women) in France, anti-Semitism, women's rights and the feminist movement in France, LGBTQIA+ rights, environmentalism, disability-rights, animal welfare and the humane treatment of animals, and the nascent sobriety movement.


The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.