North African Origins in and of the French Republic

This introductory chapter lays out the historical background of Maghrébin immigration to France, context regarding the North African second generation, the theoretical contributions of this book, and details about the book’s methodology. The chapter starts with a discussion of French colonialism in the Maghreb (specifically, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco) and the subsequent and correlative emigration to France. The chapter then discusses existing knowledge about the North African second generation, including the discrimination and disadvantages they face. Even when children of North African immigrants attain a middle-class status, they remain marginalized, because they are racial and ethnic minorities, which is similar to middle-class racial and ethnic minorities in other societies. Next, this chapter discusses how France is engaged in a racial project and outlines the theoretical framework of cultural citizenship, which explains how these minorities remain on the margins of mainstream society. The concepts of citizen outsider and the conceptual framework of cultural citizenship are also introduced as fruitful ways to investigate and analyze the tenuous social location that the members of the North African second generation often inhabit. This chapter also suggests how this framework is relevant for racial and ethnic minorities in other societies. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of the methodology and subsequent chapters.