Bénédicte Du Chaffaut
Born in 1946 in Paris, Bénédicte du Chaffaut is a member of the leadership team at the Theological Center of Meylan-Grenoble, where she heads the “Spirituality, Ecumenism, and Interreligious Relations” department.
Trained in sociology (Master’s degree, 1969) and at Sciences Po Paris (Public Service section, 1972), she completed her education with a Master’s degree in theology specializing in Islamic studies (1992). After her first professional experience at Publicis Conseil (1972-1975), she continued her career as a research officer at the Laboratory for Communication Studies and Research (1975-1992).
Her involvement in Islamic-Christian dialogue materialized from 1992 at the Theological Center of Meylan-Grenoble, which she directed from 1997 to 2003. She actively participates in national interfaith dialogue bodies, particularly within the Service for Relations with Islam (1996-2005), and later the Service for Relations with Muslims of the French Bishops’ Conference (2011-2015). At the European level, she represented France on the Islam Europe Committee (2005-2010).
Her research, conducted notably at the Laboratory of Islamic Studies at the Catholic University of Lyon since 2008, focuses primarily on the status of women in Islam. She has published numerous articles and contributions on feminist movements in Islam, religious authority, and contemporary issues of radicalization. Her expertise is regularly sought at international conferences, particularly at the Jacques Cartier Talks (2019-2023). She also served on the scientific committee of “Islamochristiana,” the journal of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (2011-2021).
Resources of this researcher
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publication
Authority in Islam. What regulation? Proceedings of the symposium.
- Michel Younès
- Mohamed-Ali Mostfa
- Bénédicte Du Chaffaut
“It is often said: “”no clergy in Islam””. In the absence of a hierarchical and universal magisterial authority, what are the instances and figures that serve as regul...
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videos
The field of fatwa production in French: a scene of tough competition between Islamic authorities
- Bénédicte Du Chaffaut
Conference « Religious Authority in Islam », organised by the Centre for the Study of Cultures and Religions and the Research Unit of the Catholic University of Lyon (UCLy), on 18 and 19 November 2...
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videos
Methodology for analysing radicalisation discourses and counter-discourses
- Bénédicte Du Chaffaut
Lecture given on 14 October 2021 at the Catholic University of Lyon during the conference « Radicalisation leading to violence in the name of Islam, Epistemological, methodological and ethical appr...
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publication
Geography of a forbidden land, women’s bodies: the image of women in Hanbalite fatwas in French-language works
- Bénédicte Du Chaffaut
Original tile : ‘Géographie d’une terre interdite, le corps des femmes : l’image des femmes dans les fatwas hanbalites d’ouvrages francophones’ This work aims to analyse the image of wo...
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publication
Islamic fundamentalism. Deconstructing a logic
- Michel Younès
- Bénédicte Du Chaffaut
- Mohamed-Ali Mostfa
- Emmanuel Pisani
Summary Our time is witnessing a rise in religious fundamentalism. In environments in crisis of deep identity, this type of conviction can secure by giving benchmarks considered safe, immutable, tr...
Resources related to
Women in Islam
videos
Aesthetics, ethics and identity: women’s bodies as an object of debate in contemporary Egypt
- Nada Amin
Paper presented at the 5th international congress of the University Platform for Research on Islam (Pluriel), held in Cordoba from 10 to 14 February 2026 on the theme "Ethics and Aesthetics in Isla...
videos
The “new veils”: articulating ethics and aesthetics in Tunisian society
Paper presented at the 5th international congress of the University Platform for Research on Islam (Pluriel), held in Cordoba from 10 to 14 February 2026 on the theme "Ethics and Aesthetics in Isla...
publication
Women, Agency and Religion: Social and Legal Issues in the Mediterranean Public Space
- Leïla Tauil
On the two Mediterranean shores, women’s agency is articulated by new social and legal actors who face the religious factor both as an asset and as a hindrance. This book explores how female ...
videos
Personal Status Laws of Women in Egypt and Palestine
- Asli Karaca
Title of the lecture : 'Institutionalized Islam in Personal Status Laws and Challenged Position of Women as ‘the Other’' In most of the Muslim-majority countries, personal status laws are the main...
videos
The other in Islamic civilization: from the immanence of cultures to divine transcendence
- Raja Sakrani
Lecture given at the 3rd International Congress of Pluriel on the theme "Islam and Otherness", on 24 May 2022, at Saint Joseph University in Beirut. Read abstract on the French tab.
publication
Prophetess – Virgin – Mother. Mary in the Koran
- Muna Tatari
- Klaus von Stosch
Mary – Bridge Figure between Christianity and Islam An entire sura bears her name. She is the only woman the Koran mentions by name – more often than Muhammad or Jesus. Until today, the...
publication
Geography of a forbidden land, women’s bodies: the image of women in Hanbalite fatwas in French-language works
- Bénédicte Du Chaffaut
Original tile : ‘Géographie d’une terre interdite, le corps des femmes : l’image des femmes dans les fatwas hanbalites d’ouvrages francophones’ This work aims to analyse the image of wo...
publication
Islam thought by a woman
- Nayla Tabbara
Today, we can speak of a crisis within Islam. Based on a rigorist vision of the Qur’an and tradition, extremist speeches have been very successful, sometimes with dramatic consequences. Howev...