Laura Anne Thompson Explores Blasphemy, Islamophobia, and Hate Speech in Tunisia
In June 2026, CURA travel grantee Laura Anne Thompson traveled to Tunis, Tunisia, to participate in the conference Islamophobia: Maghrebi Perspectives, organized by the Institute of Research on the Contemporary Maghreb (IRMC). Thompson presented her new research on blasphemy and Islamophobia in the western Mediterranean in a panel examining blasphemy and hate speech. Her paper, “Islamophobia in Blasphemy and Hate Speech: Similar Words on Different Shores,” examines five cases of Tunisians accused of blasphemy between 2011 and 2020, exploring how defendants themselves harnessed Islamophobic discourses. The research also considers the experiences of those who sought asylum in Europe, where they encountered anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-African racism, and situates these experiences within the broader paradox of prosecutable anti-Muslim “hate speech” in the European Union. The presentation builds on research Thompson previously shared as a CURA Colloquium Fellow in 2024–25 and contributes to her ongoing book project, Who Speaks for the Sacred.
The trip also created opportunities for Thompson to deepen connections with scholars working on North Africa and the Mediterranean, particularly researchers conducting work in French and Arabic. She established connections with scholars researching Algerian blasphemy cases and with researchers affiliated with the Mediterranean project at the University of Aix-en-Provence, opening possibilities for future collaboration and research fellowships. Following the conference, Thompson conducted archival research at Tunisia’s Center for National Documentation, consulting newspaper coverage of blasphemy cases from 2011, 2012, and 2020, and interviewed a lawyer working on blasphemy cases. Conversations with Tunisian students at the conference were another important outcome of the visit, with several students expressing interest in Thompson’s research and asking her to provide feedback on their own work. The experience also highlighted the challenges of conducting non-archival research in Tunisia amid the country’s current political climate, encouraging Thompson to pursue archival research while expanding her work to the broader North African and Mediterranean region.