Living apart or together with our differences?

Abstract

The traditional approaches of governments to citizenship, nationality and social relations have become obsolete or unfit in the face of the demands of more heterogeneous, multicultural and complex societies. This article argues that, in France, the persistence of xenophobic and neocolonialist attitudes and the strong belief that equal treatment for all is an adequate response have prevented state institutions from vigorously tackling discriminations with appropriate policies. Despite the growing ethnicization of social relations at work, school and in the neighbourhoods, the struggle against social inequality still dominates the public debate, thereby neglecting the specific harms suffered by long-settled postcolonial immigrants and their children. The latter have become the easy scapegoats of a perceived general societal malaise, and for this they are easily criminalized. The article argues that current timid institutional innovations observed here and there in France will only gain force if civil society becomes more open to negotiations about rights to the city and more tolerant of the expression of ethnic differences in public space.

Multiculturalism's regeneration: celebrating Merdeka (Malaysian independence) in a European Capital of Culture

“…Indeed, as Barry himself noted, hostility to the Report largely concerned ‘what is most irreproachable in it – the proposals for strong steps against discrimination’ (Barry 2001b, 59). At the same time, surely this hostility is (among other things) diagnostic of the enduring racialised nature of social relations in the public sphere, exposing the inadequacy of Barry's liberal non‐recognition of difference, in Britain and elsewhere (see Body‐Gendrot 2002 on the French context). The right‐wing press in particular took exception to the suggestion that British citizens may need to re‐evaluate their history and identity, and repudiate the historical racial coding of Britishness so as to allow citizens of different cultures and colours to coexist with the same right of claim to the nation.…”

Backlash of multiculturalist and republicanist policies of integration in the age of securitization

“…Although France set out to create politically equal citizens with no regard to religion, language, race, ethnicity and gender, it no longer recognizes the politics of recognition generated especially by migrants of Muslim background, ignores the cultural, religious and ethnic differences emphasized by minorities and adopts an assimilation policy, all of which serve to show that the republican project and its values are under threat. 16 These demands, voiced by migrants and minorities and left unsolved by the Republic, clearly show that the Republic at hand needs to be democratized. In other words, the real republicanism needs to be reformed along the egalitarian claims of migrant origin people who are affiliated with a true republican rhetoric underlining equality, justice and rights in all spheres of life including politics, education, labour market and culture.…”

Social exclusion and inclusion of young immigrants

“…Of late, it has been common to speak of a new social exclusion perspective, which is better fi t to analyze the more heterogeneous, multicultural and complex society (Body-Gendrot, 2002). As far as I can see, there have been few totally new focuses in the research on social exclusion during the last couple of decades, except for a much stronger focus on ethnicity and/or migration status compared to the mid 1990s.…”

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Social exclusion is a term which was introduced in the social sciences in the early 1990s in order to extend the focus beyond poverty by focusing on the relation between the individual and the society. During later years, it has been common to speak of a new social exclusion perspective, which is better fi t to analyze the more heterogeneous, multicultural and complex society (Body-Gendrot, 2002). In this article, I will focus on the social exclusion in different arenas, thus underlining the multi-dimensional aspect of social exclusion.

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