TY - CHAP

T1 - Postcolonial Migration, Racism and Culture

T2 - France and North Africa

AU - Lewis, Jonathan

PY - 2023/11/2

Y1 - 2023/11/2

N2 - This chapter discusses postcolonial immigration to France, with a particular focus on North Africa and the challenges faced by postcolonial migrants and their descendants in contemporary French society. These challenges relate largely to the capacity of the French republican model of citizenship to incorporate ethnic difference. The chapter begins by placing immigration from North Africa in its historical context, tracing broader migratory movements since the Second World War when non-European migration, and in particular migration from France’s colonies, began to increase. A significant period of reference throughout the chapter will be the 1980s, when the number of non-European migrants (largely from former colonies and the majority from North Africa) living in France overtook that of European migrants for the first time. Not only did the 1980s signal a wider physical presence of postcolonial migrants and their children in France, but it also marked a political and cultural coming-of-age on the part of ethnic minorities from the former colonies. The chapter will therefore also briefly outline the important role of postcolonial immigrant cultural production in underlining the multicultural and diverse makeup of contemporary France. Overall, the chapter seeks to illuminate the closely connected nature of Empire and immigration and the ever-present need to acknowledge that connection in order to understand more fully the multifarious nature of postcolonial French society and culture.

AB - This chapter discusses postcolonial immigration to France, with a particular focus on North Africa and the challenges faced by postcolonial migrants and their descendants in contemporary French society. These challenges relate largely to the capacity of the French republican model of citizenship to incorporate ethnic difference. The chapter begins by placing immigration from North Africa in its historical context, tracing broader migratory movements since the Second World War when non-European migration, and in particular migration from France’s colonies, began to increase. A significant period of reference throughout the chapter will be the 1980s, when the number of non-European migrants (largely from former colonies and the majority from North Africa) living in France overtook that of European migrants for the first time. Not only did the 1980s signal a wider physical presence of postcolonial migrants and their children in France, but it also marked a political and cultural coming-of-age on the part of ethnic minorities from the former colonies. The chapter will therefore also briefly outline the important role of postcolonial immigrant cultural production in underlining the multicultural and diverse makeup of contemporary France. Overall, the chapter seeks to illuminate the closely connected nature of Empire and immigration and the ever-present need to acknowledge that connection in order to understand more fully the multifarious nature of postcolonial French society and culture.

KW - Migration

KW - Racism

KW - Culture

KW - Postcolonialism

KW - France

KW - North Africa

U2 - 10.4324/9781351142168

DO - 10.4324/9781351142168

M3 - Chapter

SP - 274

EP - 285

BT - Routledge Handbook of Francophone Africa

A2 - Chafer, Tony

A2 - Majumdar, Margaret

PB - Routledge

CY - Abingdon

ER -