The Empire Strikes Back

France’s revolution of 1789-1799 destroyed the age-old monarchy, eliminated aristocratic privilege, and established the inalienable rights of all citizens. Dedication to the ideals of equality and freedom for all men is enshrined in the national motto, “liberté, égalite, fraternité.” Regardless of France’s longstanding commitment to the principles of liberty, contemporary social attitudes and policies have fallen far from the revolutionary ideal, particularly vis-à-vis France’s burgeoning population of immigrants and their descendants. Despite its extensive and tortuous history of immigration, twenty-first century France remains vehemently committed to antiquated notions of citizenship and national belonging. France’s persistent refusal to acknowledge its de-facto multiculturalism has created a brutal cycle of marginalization, in which ethnic minorities are prevented from expressing their cultural identities and successfully integrating into mainstream French society.

Immigrants from the Maghreb – a hilly, arid region in North Africa situated between the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea – represent the largest segment of France’s considerable ethnic population. France is currently home to over 3.5 million foreigners, more than a million of whom are Magrébins, primarily from Algeria and Morocco (Sekher 25). Contemporary Magrébin immigration began in earnest in the years following World War II. After defeating Germany, the United States launched an ambitious program to revitalize the devastated economies of Western Europe and create dynamic markets for mass-produced American consumer goods. From 1948-1951, The European Recovery Program, commonly known as the Marshall Plan, provided unprecedented levels of developm...

... middle of paper ...

...ologist François Dubet notes, “Une société construite sur une égalité des chances parfaitement juste pourrait, en même temps, être parfaitement inégalitaire” (qtd. in Rosello 237). To provide special benefits to minorités visibles would undermine the egalitarian ideal of “republican assimilation” by treating them as more than equals. Such reverse discrimination would represent an unacceptable breach of the sacred credo of “liberté, égalite, fraternité.” Hence, minorités visibles generally receive an insufficient level of social spending, with derelict public housing projects and minimal welfare payments the only programs currently providing benefits (Smith 176). Continued adherence to outdated concepts of citizenship therefore facilitates the separate and unequal treatment of minorités visibles by concealing persecution under the guise of official equality.