1. French Maghrébins and Muslim Americans: a comparative look
NEH presentation
Shannon Swann

2. The overall picture Thriving?
Young Muslims in US 40% vs. Young Muslims in France 23%
Highly Educated
US Muslims 40% vs. French Maghrébins 6%
Respected
88% of US Muslims report feeling respected
40.8% Male and 36% Female Maghrébins experienced discrimination

3. Why is this so? Read 20+ scholarly articles Looked for common threads
Reached some tentative conclusions
Found many avenues for further research and/or study

4. Some major factors History Culture Geography Economics
Social/Political reasons

5. Immigration timeline US Muslims French Maghrébins Long history
Virtually no migration to France prior to 1950s
Larger waves in early and late 20th century
Male workers came in large numbers in early 1960s from former colonies
Variety of nationalities, ethnicities, and traditions
Countries of origin for vast majority are three North African countries: Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco
(in addition to native-born American Muslim groups)

6. Settlement patterns: US

7. Settlement patterns: France

8. National Identity “USA is a country of immigrants”
Narrative focuses on the building of a nation from Pilgrims to modern times
Multicultural nature of country acknowledged
“France is a great European nation”
Narrative focused on achievements of the French people from the Gauls to de Gaulle (and beyond)
Fear of “communautarisme” and insistence on “monocultural” nature of France

9. (France an immigrant country?)

10. Religion and the State US: “freedom of religion” France: “la laïcité”
(government takes a hands-off approach)
France: “la laïcité”
(the republic is officially secular)

11. Civil Rights and anti-discrimination laws
United States:
Civil Rights Act 1964
Affirmative Action
France:
Hate speech laws
Illegal to collect information on race/ethnicity

12. Public discourse Media Government officials Political parties Events
divers/videos-le-clip-anti-jihad-choc- du-gouvernement

13. Final thoughts
Numbers, circumstances, and shorter timeframe make acceptance more difficult for French Maghrébins
Muslims are an integral part of both American and French society
I need to ensure that my curriculum reflects the diversity of French society