Governing diversity without naming it: An analysis of neighbourhood policies in Paris

Abstract

Cities are places of diversity and notions of super-diversity or hyper-diversity have recently been proposed to provide for a more accurate description of the increased diversification of urban populations not only in terms of ethnicity, but also in terms of demographic profile and lifestyles. In the French context, however, urban policies have mainly been implemented following an income-based definition of population diversity that does not formerly acknowledge ‘ethnicity’, by contrast to other countries such as the UK. How do French urban policies adapt to the challenge of the increased diversification of urban populations considering they do not take into consideration ethnicity, to begin with? Do they simply ignore the ethnic dimension of urban life or do they find ways to address it? In this article, we analyse the ways in which French urban policies deal with the diversification of urban populations through the scope of equality, without recognizing ethnic difference. We take the example of Paris as a highly diverse but also divided city, in terms of income and nationality of origin. Based on a critical analysis of public policy documents and interviews with key stakeholders, we highlight the paradox of dealing with diversity in a colour-blind context: the focus on socio-economic characteristics makes it difficult to consider the intersectional dimension of inequalities.

Explaining reforms: post-New Public Management myths or political realities? Social housing delivery in England and France

“…However, overall SRU was not successful. Escafré-Dublet et al (2014) conclude, in a literature review, that social mixing strategies have not reversed ‘the concentration and impoverishment of immigrants in deprived neighbourhoods’. Korsu (2016) reaches a similar verdict on the failure of these strategies in Paris and Lyon, and Kantor et al (2012: 172) note that the east–west gap, between the poorer and wealthier parts of the greater Paris area, had actually increased.…”

Critical urban cosmopolitanism and the governance of urban diversity in European cities

“… a Saeys et al (2014: 4). b Maloutas et al (2014: 4). c Fabula et al (2014: 4). d Andersen et al (2014: 4). e Raco et al (2014: 4). f Barberis et al (2014: 4). g Escafré-Dublet et al (2014: 4). h Tersteeg et al (2014: 4). i Tammaru et al (2014: 4). j Korcelli-Olejniczak et al (2014: 4). …”

“…In Paris, for instance, the term ‘diversity’ is dissonant with long-standing Republican values and traditional forms of welfare provision. The Republican model does not formally recognise diversity, and prohibits positive ‘discrimination’ in any terms other than economic disadvantage (see Escafré-Dublet et al, 2014). 4 In other cases, strong forms of post-multi-cultural politics and strategies towards diversity have emerged in the wake of economic crisis and a growing perception that there has been ‘too much’ recent in-migration of groups that are both culturally distinct and economically less privileged.…”

“… 4. As Escafré-Dublet et al (2014) note, the 1958 Constitution guarantees the equal treatment of individuals regardless of their ethnic, religious or racial belonging. Consequently, ‘diversity is regarded as taboo or too broad by French governmental and non-governmental actors…not least the fact it is illegal to identify particular sub-groups of the French population in official statistics and thus public policy targeting’ (p. 27).…”

Colour-blind diversity: how the “Diversity Label” reshaped anti-discrimination policies in three French local governments

“…addressed through the well-established paradigms of integration, social insertion and urban cohesion (Kirszbaum 2004, Dikec 2007, Mazouz 2017, Cerrato Debenedetti 2018, Escafré-Dublet and Lelévrier 2019. Thirdly, colour-blindness translates into the legal restrictions on the collection of ethnic and racial statistics, a subject that has repeatedly triggered heated controversies since the late 1990s (Peer andSabbagh 2008, Simon 2008).…”