Fixing France w/ Nabila Ramdani

Join journalist, Nabila Ramdani, as she discusses her new book, Fixing France: How to Repair a Broken Republic, charting the course of France’s Fifth Republic, formed in the wake of the 1958 Algerian war of independence.

Ramdani, with her Algerian heritage perspective, unveils a bold new lens through which to view modern France, tackling complex themes such as politics, economics, societal shifts and feminism.

This trailblazing work delves deep into the challenges faced by marginalised minorities, particularly Muslims, who struggle against systemic barriers in housing, employment and education. It poses pressing questions about the foundational ideals of the republic and the pervasive influence of the far right.

Join Ramdani as she exposes the harsh realities and sparks crucial dialogue about the future trajectory of the French republic, exploring whether France’s foundation was a castle built on sand and what it will take to forge a resilient future.

About the book

France—the romanticised, revolutionary land of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity for all—is failing. Reform is urgently needed. This book is a powerful indictment of the status quo, and a highly original perspective on the challenges to which the nation must rise.

Nabila Ramdani is not from the establishment elite: she is a marginalised insider, born and raised in a neglected Paris suburb. With unflinching clarity, she probes the fault lines of her struggling country, exposing the Fifth Republic as an archaic system which emerged from Algeria’s cataclysmic War of Independence.

Today, a monarchical President Macron shows little interest in democracy, while a far-right party founded by Nazi collaborators threatens to replace him. Segregation, institutionalised rioting, economic injustice, the debasement of women, a monolithic education system, deep-seated racial and religious discrimination, paramilitary policing, terrorism and extremism, and a duplicitous foreign policy all fuel the growing crisis.

Yet Ramdani offers real hope: the broken French Republic can, and must, be fixed.

About the author

Nabila Ramdani is a French author of Algerian descent who works as a journalist, academic and broadcaster. Nabila began her award-winning journalistic career in the BBC Paris Bureau. She has since broadcast for outlets including Sky News, Al Jazeera and CNN, and has written extensively for The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Washington Post and others. Educated at Paris VII University and the London School of Economics (LSE), Nabila has taught at the University of Oxford and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.