Individual Presentation or Panel Title
Racism in France: The Intersection between Immigration, Economy, and the Far Right
Abstract
I am going to focus my research on rising racial tensions in France in the wake of the ongoing economic crisis and waves of immigration and failed attempts at assimilation. My thesis will address how the weakened state of France has allowed for political parties of the extreme rightwing, namely Le Front National, to gain more and more seats in the government even though its founder and main objectives for the country can be interpreted as being overtly racist and anti-Semitic. I will have a short but comprehensive review of the history of immigration and racism in France. I will situate the history with the founding of Le Front National in the context of the economic crises of the ’70s. I will then focus on efforts of antiracism groups to quell rising prejudices as France’s immigrants become increasingly more Arabic and black. I will then take account of the failures of these attempts and focus on current expressions of overt racism and anti-antisemitism, namely toward Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira and antisemitic marches. Finally, I will make reserved suggestions on what could be done to help France’s citizens ease into a new era of immigration while dealing with one of the country’s worst economic crises.
Location
Janney Lounge
Start Date
11-4-2015 2:30 PM
End Date
11-4-2015 3:20 PM
Racism in France: The Intersection between Immigration, Economy, and the Far Right
Janney Lounge
I am going to focus my research on rising racial tensions in France in the wake of the ongoing economic crisis and waves of immigration and failed attempts at assimilation. My thesis will address how the weakened state of France has allowed for political parties of the extreme rightwing, namely Le Front National, to gain more and more seats in the government even though its founder and main objectives for the country can be interpreted as being overtly racist and anti-Semitic. I will have a short but comprehensive review of the history of immigration and racism in France. I will situate the history with the founding of Le Front National in the context of the economic crises of the ’70s. I will then focus on efforts of antiracism groups to quell rising prejudices as France’s immigrants become increasingly more Arabic and black. I will then take account of the failures of these attempts and focus on current expressions of overt racism and anti-antisemitism, namely toward Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira and antisemitic marches. Finally, I will make reserved suggestions on what could be done to help France’s citizens ease into a new era of immigration while dealing with one of the country’s worst economic crises.