Racial Diversity in Contemporary France : The Case of Colorblindness

This book aims to broaden the discussion of the taboo surrounding race and racial diversity in France, closely examining the paradox that France is a de facto multicultural society that rejects multicultural practices and policies. The book provides an insight into the French case-study as an illustration of what it means to be a colorblind society and how it operates as such. Through an examination of the French census, as well as discrimination laws and patterns in France, the 2005 ethnic riots, and the place of Islam in France, this book unveils the mechanisms, strategies, and repertoires of colorblindness. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of American sociologists, the book questions the French model of integration’s approach to race and its normative assumptions. This model of integration is based on a colorblind (no race) and religious blind (laϊ‎cité) form of citizenship that aims to incorporate differences into Frenchhood but without recognizing those differences. This denial has allowed French society to avoid acknowledging centuries of oppression of racial minorities and engaging in a national discussion about the thriving presence of systemic racism. The book thus contends that ignoring and rejecting the notion of race means precluding understanding one of the fundamental forms and forces of social stratification in contemporary France and failing to grasp some of the most important mechanisms that produce and maintain inequality. Front Cover Series Racial Diversity in Contemporary France: The Case of Colorblindness Copyright information Dedication Table of contents Series Editor Preface List of tables About the Author Acknowledgments 1 Introduction The premise of the debate: colorblind and post-racial Book structure 2 Race and Racism: Framing the Debate Race: some definitions Conceptualizing racism The history of race and racism in France Debates and controversies Theoretical frames and methodologies White racial framing White racial hegemony Colorblind racism The theory of racial ignorance Social construction Methodologies Conclusion 3 The French Model of Integration and Colorblind Racism Clarification and caveat Contemporary demography of France Current French laws on discrimination and diversity Discrimination patterns in contemporary France Public surveys (INSEE) Testing Studies based on first and last names Employment discrimination Education discrimination Residential segregation Race and policing Health disparities Conclusion 4 Counting Racial Diversity: Naming and Numbering Collecting data: methods and contradictions Overview Contemporary context France’s blind spot: the grammar of colorblindness The racialist frame: the specter of France’s past The universalist frame The national identity frame Comparative case studies in Europe Conclusion 5 Rioting the Residences and Reclaiming the Republic Political rhetoric Chronology of events: how the house burned down The grammar of the White racial frame Kärcher and racaille The riots and the rioters as criminal The state of emergency and colonial legacy Cultural racism as colorblind racism Conclusion 6 Islam and the Republic Muslims in France or French Muslims? Muslims and Islam The religion versus laïcité frame The headscarf and burkini affairs The religion versus universalist feminism frame The religion and republican free speech frame Islam and secularism in Europe Conclusion 7 Rethinking Integration and Racial Identity: Beyond the French Exception A post-racial world? Chapter summary Main findings Conclusion Policy recommendations Glossary References Index Back Cover This book offers a unique perspective on contemporary France by focusing on racial diversity, race, and racism as central features of French society and identity. Marie des Neiges Léonard critically reviews contentious public policies and significant issues, including reactions to the terrorist attack against satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and policies regarding the Islamic veil, revealing how color-blind racism plays a role in the persistence of racial inequality for French racial minorities. Drawing from American sociological frameworks, this outstanding study presents a new way of thinking in the study of racial identity politics in today’s France. This unique work reveals how the denial of race as a social category maintains and reproduces systematic racism in contemporary France. Leonard offers an in-depth analysis of contentious issues in society, revealing how color-blind racism is at the centre of social inequality in France. This unique work reveals how the denial of race as a social category maintains and reproduces systematic racism in contemporary France. Léonard offers an in-depth analysis of contentious issues in society, revealing how color-blind racism is at the centre of social inequality in France