FRANCE

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• FRANCE
• National Identity Immigration

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Definitions

• Immigration not just sensitive political issue
• opportunity to examine social ties, national
  integration and citizenship
• Foreigner? Immigrant?

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France country of immigration

• From early history, waves of settlers Celts,
  Romans, Germanic tribes, Vikings,
• FRANCE country of political asylum movement of
  populations following European wars
• Economic need for workers after WWII who escape
  misery in Italy and Poland, Russia...

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National origins of Immigrants

• Europe(socio-economic and political refugees from
  Italy, Spain, Russia, Greece political, Eastern
  European countries Poland, Roumania, former
  Yougoslavia)
• Former colonies North Africa and sub-Saharan
  Africa and former Indochina (Vietnam, Laos,
  Cambodia)
• Chile
• Asia

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Immigrants

• Usually ADULT MALE single workers
• family reunion arrival of families and issues of
  integration

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Integration political framework

• -German or ethnic model nationality linked to
  descent (right of blood line)
• French or political model
• derived from republican principles.
• Aim is to assimilate/integrate
• Nationalitycitizenshipright of soil
• British/US model recognition of minorities with
  issues of ghettoisation/ segregation

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Policies

• Constitutionally (republican principles) France
  does not discriminate either negatively or
  positively on account of race/nationality
• FAS (social action fund for immigrant workers and
  families)
• --1958

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Naturalizationcitizenship

• Marriage to a French national (for 1 year)
• granting of nationality to people
• who have reached their majority (18 years) and
  have lived in France for at least five years
• acquisition by Right of soil
• in the case of 18-year-old children of
  foreigners born in France, and resident there for
  at least five years between the ages of 11 and 18
  (under Article44).

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Integration problems The causes

• Socio-economic schooling housing/unemployment(lac
  k of education and qualifications, language
  issues, few financial resources, social
  problems..)
• Concentration in large urban centers, HLM
  suburban housing (Paris, Lyon, Lille, Marseilles,
  Toulouse...)
• Also mutual cultural perceptions.

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Xenophobia is often linked to periods of economic
depression

• Discrimination for jobs
• Racism linked to colonial past and Islam
  (fuelled by customs clashing with secular
  gender equality principles of French
  civilization).
• sensitive arguments used for political ends (the
  National Front/Le Pen)

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Prospects for the integration of immigrants in
France

• Integration paths of European and non-European
  immigrants
• are diverging
• Integration of E. U citizens is of a different
  nature
• Fighting exclusion and marginalization of
  non-E.U citizens

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Integration EU member states matter

• Treaties
• SCHENGEN AGREEMENTS (1985-1990)
• AMSTERDAM TREATY(1997)
• -measures for regulating entry and residence,
  short and long term.
• --illegal immigration and residence -gtBig problem
  today!