Street vending in the metropolis: Proximity, distance, and emotions between migrants and tourists in Paris

Abstract

This paper focuses on the role played by migrants in the informal economy in the emblematic tourist sites of a Global North metropolis, paying heed to their interactions with tourists. It investigates the acceptability of the migrants' presence by probing the distance or proximity of tourists to migrant vendors. Our key hypothesis is that these subaltern assert a certain right to the city by mastering interpersonal distances with others and changing the dominant meaning attached to major tourist sites. This research draws on in-depth fieldwork carried out in four of Paris's most famous attractions: the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Montmartre, and the Louvre. It is based on ethnographic observations, 75 interviews in five languages with tourists, and 29 interviews with actors in the informal economy, often street vendors. Analyzing this research material has allowed us to conceptualize a wide range of strategies by which migrants negotiate their place in the city. We highlight three modalities of proxemic relationships between tourists and migrants that shape the multi-scalar emotional experiences of these sites. These complex (im)possible proximities help us better grasp how a translocal and progressive sense of place is at stake, in the very heart of a global city.

Introduction to the special section: When migrants produce the city: Everyday negotiations of urban space / Introduction de la section spéciale : Quand les migrants produisent la ville : Négociations quotidiennes de l'espace urbain

“…By relocating the debate on the governance of refugees from urban margins (camps) to city centres, Cenk Saraçoğlu and Danièle Bélanger (2021) study the co‐presence of Syrian refugees and Turkish citizens in Izmir, a major Turkish coastal city on the Aegean. This study aligns with Cattan and Frétigny's (2021) work as it also observes that migrants assert their presence in these urban centres. It examines the daily life of Syrians in poorer neighbourhoods, characterized by a large variety of actors.…”

Les portes d’accès dans la cristallisation de la mondialisation

“…Le deuxième matériau résulte d'un travail d'atelier collectif de prospective sur les portes d'entrée de la France en 2040 1 . La dernière source s'appuie sur les apports de nos travaux récents concernant à la fois les situations de migrations liées à la mondialisation par le bas et d'autres situations de mobilités à large échelle particulièrement variées (Cattan 2012 ;Frétigny 2016 ;Cattan et Frétigny 2021). Au croisement de ces matériaux, le chapitre élabore une qualification de différents types de portes d'accès dont l'originalité tient à la prise en compte d'une grande multiplicité d'échanges, d'activités et d'acteurs.…”