In a word, Hawaii proved more French than France herself. As a consequence, the politics of same-sex marriage did not translate well. The shift revealed by the specific issue of same-sex marriage only concerns minority issues. Indeed, one could argue that the rhetoric of America, once it had become irrelevant for minority issues, became available for other purposes. Same-sex union politics manifest this rhetorical shift.
Political meaning varies with time and place.
The consequence is that we need to reject, or rather reach beyond, the opposition that I just suggested between a political and an academic logic. The difficulty is that we are part of the history we try to analyze. At this point, a comparative perspective may prove helpful for it helps to create a distance. Fassin is professor of sociology in the Department of Social Sciences at the Ecole Normale Sup rieure in Paris. This text may be used and shared in accordance with the fair-use provisions of US copyright law, and it may be archived and redistributed in electronic form, provided that this entire notice is carried and that Duke University Press is notified and no fee is charged for access.