III. From « savages » to immigrants

An overview : France has been a country for immigration for more than a century due to many reasons : - Economic needs - Demographic reasons - Political choices As to France, the need in immigration began at the end of the 19th century because of a demographic weakness, increased after World War I. 1851 : about 380,000 migrants 1911 : about 1 million (representing 3% of the population) 1931 : the foreigners represent about 6,5% of the population 1975 : 3,4 million of immigrants. Since the late 70’s, the European source has been replaced by an African, North-African and Asian immigration.

The French exception in the European migrations From 1860 to 1975, France had 3 very active ways for a successful integration : work, the French Republican conception of the secular school and the military service. Since 1975/80, all those process has failed : the military service has now disappeared, unemployment is rising, school can’t solve increasing difficulties. The French government tried and controlled the immigration through the law.

WHAT DOES REPUBLICAN SCHOOL REPRESENT ? The transmission of values and knowledge : Lay system (separation between the State and the Church), Language…

WHAT DID THE « MILITARY SERVICE » STAND FOR ? People with various backgrounds worked together. They became familiar with the traditions. They could get the French nationality through the French Foreign Legion.

HOW DID FULL EMPLOYMENT HELP THE SYSTEM ? During periods of growth, the appeal to immigrants was stronger. But in periods of unemployement, immigrants were the first (and easy) target.

THE GREAT EMPIRE At the same time, France continued increasing its imperial power : between the two wars, the natives, who already fought, helped to rebuild the country, working for the war industry. Some of them integrated successfully. In France, propaganda and wars let the idea of colonialism triumph.

THE CLASH OF DECOLONISATION After 1954 decolonisation started : War had weakened the position in the colonies, which had been contesting the European occupation since the end of the War. A wave of emancipation grew during the 50’s and the 60’s, a myth was collapsing : the Europeans’ superiority. Some African countries managed to claim a peaceful independence, but most of the time, people were getting into troubles. In Algeria, a former French colony, nationalism turned into a war : the French government covered the army’s violence. Independence was claimed in 1962.

THE INTELLECTUALS Only a minority in France (inspired by communists principes) contested the colonialism between the two Wars, but the contestation was growing inside the colonies too... People were prejudiced again African colonised people, as we can see in many advertisings, unfortunately…

JEAN GENET Jean Genet (December 19, 1910 – April 15, 1986) was a prominent and controversial French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. Early in his life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but later took to writing. His major works include the novels Querelle of Brest, The Thief's Journal, and Our Lady of the Flowers, and the plays The Balcony, The Blacks, The Maids and The Screens.

THE SCREENS The Screens (French: Les Paravents) is a play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. Its first complete performance was staged in Stockholm in 1964, two years before Roger Blin directed its French premiere in Paris. The play can be read as an epic account of the Algerian War of Independence : a family, Saïd, his mother and his wife Leila (« the ugliest woman ») go through political torments that are never directly expressed.

THE 60’S AND 70’S Most of the immigrants were Portuguese and Algerians. The Portuguese were a minority but before 1974 and the end of Salazar’s dictatorship many of them illegally fled to France. The Algerian migration depended a lot on the relationship between France and Algeria : although the Algerians were allowed to move freely, the administration controled the migrants through many social and working actions. After 1954, police controls became stronger. After 1962 Evian agreement, it was easier to travel, the idea could be that Algerians living in France would go back. The opposite used to happen : economic reasons made immigration to France. The working migration is doubled with family reunion.

1974 : A TURNING POINT Like most of the European countries, France had to face rising unemployment : the unqualified immigrated workers were the first victims. 1974 : French government wanted to stop immigration and help migrants to go back, but most of them were engaged in a process of becoming French The landscape reflects those movements : the suburbs emerged everywhere around big cities : new solidarities, new identities through the origin or the religion are creating new « cultures » with many conflicts between groups and most of the time between generations. That’s one of the sources of increasing violence.

THE NEW SUBURBS

IMMIGRATION : A POLITICAL AND SOCIAL TOPIC The question of the immigration became an interrogation about « integration » in the 80’s and finally about « discrimination ». Xenophobia and racism grew up, as the new audience for the « Front national », developing the idea of migrants invading the country or the impossibility for some of them to adapt themselves underlines it. During this period, the question of the illegal immigration is one of the topical issues.

EVOLUTION OF THE FOREIGNERS AND IMMIGRANTS RIGHTS In the 80’s and 90’s questions came up about getting the French nationality although the European construction should have brought this traditional notion to the background. Many different laws organized the foreigners’ status (how they can enter, exit, live and work in France) and asylum rights. France is still recording most of the political asylum demands : a lot of people coming from Eastern and Central Europe before 1989, but also from Chili, Argentina, Lebanon, Armenia…

FROM THE NATIVE TO THE IMMIGRANTS More than 1 million of « returnees » came from Asia, Africa or the Middle East to France in successive waves. The main stream is coming from North Africa (Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria). Some of them are jewish, some are called « French muslims », a way to keep them apart although they own the French citizenship...