Rushing to Judgement: Houellebecq’s Soumission as Formative Fiction

Abstract

Abstract With his 2015 novel, Soumission, Michel Houellebecq entered the debate, yet again, over the place of Islam in France, this time inspiring defences and condemnations of his depiction of a dystopian Islamic French future. This postsecular novel also intervenes in an academic debate within the field of postsecular studies: the question of passing judgement upon other cultures. In light of Houellebecq’s novel, this article re-examines the question of postsecular judgement as it has been treated by Judith Butler, Talal Asad, and Saba Mahmood. Using Joshua Landy’s idea of ‘formative fiction’, I show how the novel’s blend of genres and thematic treatment of judgement invites readers to train their capacities to slow down their pace of judgement in order to consider the ethical ramifications of judgement itself. Landy’s approach not only sheds light on an overlooked ethical dimension of the novel, it also reconciles the novel’s form with its sensational content, revealing a common thread between Houellebecq’s novel, Landy’s formative approach, and postsecular studies.