Why have minority women in France had more success in gaining access to formal political power than minority men? By analyzing data on the inclusion of minority men and women in national-level politics in France from 2002 until 2022, this research aims to understand patterns in both descriptive and substantive minority representation in France. Here, I propose that minority women’s rise to power has been anything but accidental and is the deliberate consequence of a system cognizant of the need to diversify politics, but institutionally and ideologically underprepared to do so. Because Republican assimilation obviates the formal recognition of minorities in the public sphere, politicians have strategically opted to include minority women in greater numbers than minority men on national electoral party lists and in Cabinets in order to satisfy the de facto requirement of minority representation in the ‘‘safest’’ way possible. More specifically, I propose that politicians across the ideological spectrum often consider minority women ideal candidates specifically for their ability to serve a uniquely dual political purpose. On the one hand, minority women are visible enough to satisfy the basic need for minority descriptive representation. On the other hand, minority women are also deemed more ‘‘assimilable’’ than men and therefore not too ‘‘visible’’ to actively threaten Republican ideals or alienate conservative voters. Finally, if minority women are favored precisely because they promise not to dramatically rattle the status quo, this paper suggests that their increasing political presence will not be accompanied by an increase in substantive policy representation of minorities in France.

This paper traces a significant discursive shift in attitudes to trans people in the UK between 2016 and 2024. It examines the proposals put forward by the Women and Equalities Select Committee (2016) to improve trans equality, juxtaposing them with current rhetoric in grass roots and policy settings (see, for example, Badenoch, 2024), questioning how a liberal discourse of rights and inclusion gave way to rhetoric based on exclusion (McLean, 2021; Turnbull-Dugarte and McMillan, 2023) Using a transfeminist approach, it contends that while the activism among grassroots organisations is a significant factor in current anti-trans policies and attitudes, the upsurge in hostility needs to be understood both in its broader international context (see, for example, Butler, 2024; Kuhar and Paternotte, 2017) and in relation to its amplification by figures in mainstream political parties (particularly, but not exclusively, Labour and the Conservatives). This paper therefore sheds light on the relationship between anti- gender and gender critical policy and discourses, and the particularity of the anti-gender and gender critical discourses and policy issuing from the UK as a secular state, which stands in contrast to other states with strong religious ties, such as France, Italy, and Poland, in which the state and pressure groups have pursued anti-trans policies on the basis that ‘gender’ as a construct harms the institution of the family (Graff and Korolczuk, 2022).

Badenoch, K. (2024). ‘We need to change the law to protect women’s spaces’, 2^nd June. Available at: https://www.kemibadenoch.org.uk/news/we-need-change-law-protect-womens-spaces (accessed 5th May).

Butler, J (2024). Who’s Afraid of Gender? London: Allen Lane.

House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee (2016). Transgender Equality, First Report of Session 2015–16, HC 390. London: The Stationery Office.

Graff, A and Korolczuk, E. (2022). Anti-Gender Politics in the Populist Moment. New York and London: Routledge.

Kuhar, R, & Paternotte, D (eds) 2017, Anti-Gender Campaigns in Europe: Mobilizing Against Equality, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated, Blue Ridge Summit. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [6 February 2025].

McLean, C. (2021). The Growth of the Anti-Transgender Movement in the United Kingdom. The Silent Radicalization of the British Electorate. International Journal of Sociology, 51(6), 473–482. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207659.2021.1939946

Pearce, R., Erikainen, S., & Vincent, B. (2020). TERF wars: An introduction. The Sociological Review, 68(4), 677-698. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038026120934713

Turnbull-Dugarte, S.J. & McMillan, F. (2023), “Protect the women!” Trans-Exclusionary Feminist Issue-Framing and Support for Transgender Rights. Policy Studies Journal, 51(3): 463-70

In ‘Travelling While Black’ Nyabola (2020) recounts how she navigates the global travel industry as a Black African woman, highlighting the system’s hostility, its inherent whiteness and persistent Eurocentrism. In a similar vein, Johny Pitts (2019) refers to himself as the ‘rarest of creatures: a Black backpacker’, as he embarks on his journey across Europe. When applied in a University context, their work poses the question of how Black British and British Asian students experience their year abroad (YA)? How do these students navigate the duality of institutional whiteness inherent in the travel industry and the UK University complex?

Existing studies from the US have shown that race can impact intercultural interaction, cultural competence and language acquisition during the YA (Llanes, 2011; Quan, 2018) Additionally, student safety and microaggressions were raised as important issues that students faced (Goldoni, 2017). Building on this scholarship, this paper analyses the YA/overseas placement experiences of 7 students who identified as Black British (4), Biracial (1), British Asian (2), who attended UK Universities (4). Peer interviews conducted by Keji Kamoju explored a) University support prior to/during the YA; b) student concerns around race & other identity characteristics; c) their experiences (positive/less positive) during the YA and d) advice for future students undertaking their YA.

This paper has two objectives: 1) report findings around the identified themes; and 2) highlight the policy outcomes that have emerged from the project to support future students.

1. Findings: 1. Institutional whiteness within University settings rendered race invisible in YA preparations across 4 UK Universities; 2. Students therefore: a) undertook self-directed study prior to travel to explore: safety of destination & local diaspora through vlogs, blogs, Youtube; b) felt unsupported; c) were unlikely to report racial incidents whilst abroad due to lack of institutional understanding; 3. Race impacted on YA destinations – cities favoured over rural locations, especially in Europe; and 4. Intersectionality was key in perceptions of inclusion/exclusion in YA settings – around race and ethnicity, gender, religion and class, eg British identity and diasporic communities were considered important for integration & language acquisition during YA.

2. Policy outcomes: a) awareness raising among languages/placement staff of project findings; b) creation of resources to support staff & students - podcast, blog, Q & A for students, policy brief for staff; c) create bounded space for students to discuss race and YA across final and 1^st/2^nd year cohorts; d) safety plans.