Rhinestones, Religion, and the RepublicDuring the course of her fieldwork in Paris, anthropologist Kimberly Arkin heard what she thought was a surprising admission. A French born, North African Jewish (Sephardi) teenage girl laughingly told Arkin she was a racist. When asked what she meant by that, the girl responded, "It means I hate Arabs." This girl was not unique. She and other Sephardi youth in Paris insisted, again and again, that they were not French, though born in France, and that