Conclusion: Sacrificed Children of the Republic?

This concluding chapter reviews the main arguments of each chapter and of the book as a whole. This chapter demonstrates that the ethnic underpinnings of French Republicanism disallow even successful children of immigrants—those who have done everything right—to ever truly be seen as French by others. Next, this chapter discusses what children of North African immigrants want, and why that matters, both in France and beyond. In taking Citizen Outsider beyond France, this chapter considers how marginal individuals navigate between their assigned and their ascribed statuses, and how cultural citizenship becomes increasingly relevant in a globalized world. This chapter considers the implications of this research for other populations and societies in terms of the ability of nonwhite people to be incorporated into mainstream, predominately white societies.