Identifier	Thesis 1685
Author	Fisher-Orzolek, Pamela S.
Title	La France d'aujourd'hui: de l'immigration á l'intégration
Publisher	Central Connecticut State University
Date of Publication	2002
Resource Type	Master's Thesis
Abstract	France is a country with a strong sense of its own identity and traditions, the so-called exception franaise. Currently, there is widespread concern about what it means to be French that stems from threats such as the global economy, the European Union, and immigration because they challenge this "Frenchness" or cultural distinctiveness. Immigration has become one of the most significant and pressing issues in contemporary France. It has erupted in flashpoints such as the Islamic headscarf affair and the reform of the French nationality laws as well as becoming central to the political debate with the rise of Jean-Marie Le Pen's extreme right-wing Front National. It is a challenge shared by the Français de souche and the immigrant, and is experienced by all aspects of French society. Immigration is hardly a recent development in French history. Historically, France was constantly being invaded. During its first ten centuries France was occupied by the Romans, the Germanic tribes and the Vikings also known as the Normans. Over the last two hundred years, France has received more immigrants than any other European country. Most of these immigrants came to France because they were attracted by employment opportunities while others were seeking political asylum. The different waves of immigration to France over the last one hundred years have assimilated into the French way of life due in part to French government policies that have long made the assertion of minority difference secondary to assimilation in the name of a single nation and culture. In spite of the fact that immigration and assimilation have been a constant in French history for well over a century, the new wave of immigrants from the Maghreb, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia during the post-colonial era of the late twentieth century have rapidly and profoundly changed the social fiber of France, the culture and complexion of French society, and the demands on France's social and political institutions because they are culturally different from earlier waves of immigrants of European origin. As a result these minorities of recent immigrant origin are challenging the myth of France as a culturally distinct and homogeneous nation-state which has lead to the question which this study will attempt to answer: "Can France continue to assimilate the immigrant population, forming them in the moule (mould) of the universal ideals of the French Republic, or will integration, a mosaic of cultural differences, rather than assimilation, be the goal?" The purpose of this study is to explore, from a cultural point of view based on demographic, historical, political, and socioeconomic data, the impact recent immigration is having on the social order in France, on French culture, on the French language, and on its national identity. Utilizing many different and current resources such as books, periodicals, journals, newspaper articles, and various Internet websites, this study identifies the factors that set the recent immigrants apart from their predecessors making their integration into French society more difficult. It also examines the role of past and present politics on both immigration and integration, the role of education as a determining factor of integration, and the role of a number of organizations seeking to combat racism, defend the rights of minority populations, and facilitate the integration of the immigrants into French society. Lastly, it identifies the contributions people of immigrant origin have made to French society. This work concludes with the perception that minorities of recent immigrant origin are successfully integrating into French society despite the claim that they are "too culturally different." Their integration has ultimately transformed and enriched the French culture.
Subject	France -- Emigration and immigration
Department	Department of Modern Languages
Advisor	Rohinsky, Marie-Claire
Type	Text
Digital Format	application/pdf
Language	fre
OCLC number	713733981
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La France d'aujourd'hui: de l'immigration á l'intégration

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