Dead for Nothing

My final project comes in multiple parts.

First, I wrote a rough draft of a paper, complete with source citations. It is not intended for submission; rather, it served as a location for storing my research as I worked on my project.

Then, I transformed those ideas into a short screenplay, complete with shot directions and dialogue. Due to the nature of the text, I did not cite any sources; however, all of the material I used came from my original paper, and you may find a full bibliography there.

Lastly, I made a brief (2:12) commercial concerning my topic. It is intended to make a complicated political issue more palatable for a general audience.

The French: Pride or Fear? What can France do?

It is clear that the “modèle d’intégration républicaine” would still not be a viable option, as Arab and African citizens of France are proud of their heritage. Therefore, the proposed first option would be the most successful attempt at integrating immigrants. If all habitants of France, white or colored, are willing to compromise, share, debate calmly, and submit to equal political representation, the immigrants will feel more included, and they will feel more welcomed. In 2005, immigrant families mourned the deaths of two colored boys who are “Dead for Nothing,” because neither the police nor the state cared about the lives of two immigrants. If France is going to overcome its current race war, the country will need to focus on addressing the needs, concerns, and hopes of all citizens; if the immigrants from Africa and the Middle East are recognized as more than “nothing,” they will have a great deal to contribute to France.

Switzerland and the Muslim Minaret Referendum

The Swiss minaret controversy began in a small municipality in the northern part of Switzerland in 2005. The contention involved the Turkish cultural association in Wangen bei Olten, which applied for a construction permit to erect a 6-metre-high minaret on the roof of its Islamic community centre. The project faced opposition from surrounding residents, who had formed a group to prevent the tower's erection. The Turkish association claimed that the building authorities improperly and arbitrarily delayed its building application. They also believed that the members of the local opposition group were motivated by religious bias. The Communal Building and Planning Commission rejected the association's application. The applicants appealed to the Building and Justice Department, which reverted the decision and remanded. As a consequence of that decision, local residents (who were members of the group mentioned) and the commune of Wangen brought the case before the Administrative Court of the Canton of Solothurn, but failed with their claims. On appeal the Federal Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the lower court. The 6-metre (20 ft)-high minaret was eventually erected in July 2009.

Many immigrants are crying "foul" against the minaret debate in Switzerland, and they are linking the debate to religious debate in France as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minaret_controversy_in_Switzerland

Causes of the 2005 Riots

This post was going to be "Jacobin Republicanism vs. Cultural Pluralism."

The riots were actually fueled by the deaths of two boys on October 27, 2005. A witness named Siyakha Traoré recalls being intercepted on the street by a young boy named Muhittin Altun, a friend of his younger brother Bouna. Muhittin’s body was badly burned, his clothing was smoking, and young Muhittin was crying the names “Bouna… Zyad!” while pointing to the electric transformer a block away. Siyakha contacted the fire department and waited for them to come rescue his younger brother from the transformer. When the firemen found Bouna and Zyad, their bodies were so badly burned that Siyakha could not identify his own brother.

Bouna and Zyad climbed up into the electrical substation in an effort to escape the police. The boys had been walking home from a soccer match when the police spotted them and ordered the boys to provide identification. The boys had forgotten their papers at home, and they were afraid of what the police would do to them, so they fled. Bouna, Zyad, and Muhittin scaled the tall wall surrounding the substation and, once they were inside, the police determined that they could abandon their pursuit. As one police officer radioed to his commanding officer, “We need reinforcements to surround the neighborhood… On second thought, if they entered the EDF site, their skin is worth nothing now.” If the police had contacted the power company, the boys’ lives could have been spared. However, Sarkozy announced that the police had done nothing wrong, and that no investigation or indictment was necessary. Two days later friends, neighbors, and a thousand Parisians of every color gathered in the streets to mourn the deaths of the two boys. They held signs that said, “Dead for Nothing.” This was the beginning of a more poisonous relationship between the French police forces, Nicolas Sarkozy, and immigrant population.

Social, Cultural, and Economic Integration of Minorities

If the “modèle d’intégration républicaine” is no longer working to integrate immigrants, there are two options for France. First, France needs to recognize its diverse population and cater to the customs of all ethnicities equally. This would mean permitting Islamic women to wear burqas in public, approving the construction of Islamic minarets throughout the country, improving housing conditions for North African workers, allowing the immigrants political representation, and still meeting the needs of white French citizens. This system would require each ethnic group to compromise and be accommodating, but each group would also be able to maintain a sense of cultural identity. Otherwise, France needs to take a second look at the “modèle d’intégration républicaine” and format it to the twenty-first century. France would need ensure that all legal immigrants receive the same privileges as other French citizens. However, at the same time, France would have to ask immigrants to conform to French standards. In some cases, that might mean asking immigrants to adopt French customs while giving up some of their traditional practices (such as women not wearing burqas in Paris). The trade-off for giving up immigrant customs would be full acceptance into French culture. For this system to work, though, immigrants would need to be willing to accept the values of their new country, and French citizens and politicians would need to become blind to skin color.

Immigration Trends

Current Policies and Politics of Immigration into France

The conditions for French immigrants have not sufficiently improved in the last five years. France utilizes a “modèle d’intégration républicaine,” a model that dictates how to integrate immigrants into French citizenship. This system is intended to negate criteria such as ethnicity, race or religion; therefore, under this system, immigrants are guaranteed equal treatment, despite differences in nationality and faith. However, as demonstrated by the riots of 2005, the model of immigrant integration is a broken system. If the model were in effect in France, the police would not have senselessly beat dark-skinned protestors (Arab and African) to the ground, while frequently sparing protestors with white skin. Likewise, France would not be experiencing segregation and discrimination in three areas: at a personal level, which lowers self-esteem and fosters stereotypes; at an economic level, which limits employment opportunities and lowers social status; and at an institutional level, where immigrants are prevented from participating in policy-making.

Truthfully, the riots in France were not a conflict between different ethnicities, although ethnic conflict was an issue, because the riots were not designed to further the immigrants’ ethnic interests. Instead, segregation, which magnified cultural inequalities into violent discrimination, was the cause. After the 1968 riots in Washington D.C., United States Federal Communications Commissioner Nicholas Johnson stated, “A riot is somebody talking. A riot is a man crying out, “Listen to me mister. There’s something I’ve been trying to tell you and you are not listening.” More than an outburst by criminal “hoodlums,” as reported by Sarkozy, the riots were a plea for the French government to intervene on behalf of the immigrants and provide them with opportunities, equal to those of other French citizens, and a restoration of dignity. It was a plea for political representation on the behalf of poor working immigrants.

October 2005 Riots in France

This post was originally going to be "Modern French Identity, Enlightenment, Revolution."

Riots are not an unusual occurrence in France; they generally last for two or three days, do minimal damage, and fade from the news after a week.[i] However, in October and November of 2005, France experienced a twenty-day riot that began in Clichy and spread through 200 towns in France. As the police in the banlieue used unwarranted violence on peaceful protestors, the intensity of the country-wide riots increased. During those two months of protest 10,000 cars went up in flames, 250 public buildings were destroyed, and insurance companies recorded 200 million euros in property damages.[ii]

It would have been tempting for white French citizens to link these riots to delinquency or depravity. After all, two factors were encouraging this mindset as the riots were taking place. The Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy (now the president of France) called the rioters hooligans, scum, and criminals who were “well known to the police.”[iii] Second, Sarkozy and other public figures maintained that the riots were spreading due to a “copy-cat effect” where minority youth were hearing about the riots in Clichy, either on the television or through rap music, and were attempting to imitate the rioting techniques they learned. A black French rapper named Monsieur R discounted the claim that rap caused the riots in France, and offered his observations:

“Just by the way they look at you they [police] give you the feeling that you are a second-class citizen, even if you were born here. Children are stopped for inspection five times, just on the way from their home to the metro! And I’m talking of a walking distance of less than 10 minutes. . . . Today in France the police logic is simple. . . . Here, if you’re black or Arab, it doesn’t matter if you have money or a good job, you’ll remain black or Arab your whole life.”[iv]

[i] Oberti, Marco. “The French reupublican model of integration: The theory of cohesion and the practice of exclusion.” New Directions for Youth Development 2008.119 (2008): 55-74. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 30 Jan. 2010.

[ii] Jobard, Fabien. "Rioting as a Political Tool: the 2005 Riots in France." Howard Journal of Criminal Justice 48.3 (2009): 235-244. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 20 Jan. 2010.

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] Schneider, Cathy Lisa. "Police Power and Race Riots in Paris." Politics & Society 36.1 (2008): 133-159. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Jan. 2010.

Who Do the French Think They Are?

Thinking about France inevitably conjures up some stereotypical images:

-baguettes as tall as children
-striped shirts and berets
-Gérard Depardieu's strong nose
-men playing the accordian
-French fries
-haute couture and Fashion Week
-war memorials
-crêpes smothered in Nutella
-picnics by the Eiffel Tower
-frog legs
-mimes

While those images may represent France from a Western perspective, they are a shallow glimpse at what the country values.

On November 3, 2009, President Nicolas Sarkozy launched a website called "National Identity Debate" and asked French citizens to participate in the "Great Debate" on French national identity. President Sarkozy asked citizens to post their thoughts about immigration, French values, and what "national identity" implies. Two weeks after Sarkozy's announcement, there were 32,000 contributions to the website (Ganley).

According to these contributions, the French are concerned with:
-the preservation of the pure French language, as dictated by the French Academy
-the protection of regional identities, such as cuisine and profession
-Catholicism as the foundation of social values
-the appreciation of national symbols (flag, anthem, etc.) and French history
-social taboos (circumcision, homosexuality, etc.)
-how to respectfully share values with immigrants

Nicolas Sarkozy said that, "France is a nation of tolerance and respect, but it also asks to be respected." One cannot appreciate living in France "without respecting any of its laws, any of its values, any of its principles." In other words, the French people would argue that their ideals are responsible for France's lure, and without adopting those ideals, immigrants would not be benefiting from France.

Readers, what do you think it means to be French?

Is it unreasonable for the French to impose their historic values on immigrants?

Keep those questions in your mind. Next week, we'll get into the good stuff.




Ganley, Elaine. "France wrestles with national identity," Contra Costa Times, 27 November 2009, p AA9.

“Would-be migrants must undergo classes in what it means to be French,” International Herald Tribune, 09 August 2007.

Blog Plan

Persuasive Intent and Audience
During the Winter 2010 semester at Brigham Young University, this blog will focus on how France is being affected--socially, economically, and culturally--by non-European immigration. I will highlight some of my direct experience with the French people and immigrants in Paris, explain deeply-rooted French traditions and customs, and draw upon current events. My target audience is composed of French Studies majors, opinionated French natives, and curious travelers.

Blog Name
The French Identity Crisis

Blog Site
www.french-identity.blogspot.com

Frequency
I plan to post once a week, on the Fridays outlined below. I will try to finish my posts before 5 pm (MST), so that my readers will have access to my new post before the weekend.

January 22
Who Do the French Think They Are?:
An Introduction to Tradition and Custom

January 29
The Modern French Identity:
Values from the Enlightenment and French Revolution

February 5
Current Policies and Politics of Immigration into France

February 12
Increased Diversity Due to Non-European Immigrants:
A Look at Muslim Immigration Trends from 1945-Present

February 19
Social, Cultural, and Economic Integration of Minorities

February 26
Jacobin Republicanism vs. Cultural Pluralism

March 5
President Sarkozy's "Conversations":
The Influence of Switzerland and the Muslim Minaret Referendum

March 12
The French: Pride or Fear?

*Advance notice will be given if blog themes are subject to change.

Images
Being able to see France is essential to understanding the values of the French people. In this blog, I will be posting some of my personal photos and videos of France, as well as a series of caricatures. I will host my media on Photobucket or Flickr. Should I wish to post photographs by another artist, I will credit them accordingly.

Length
Depending on the week, my posts will range between 300-700 words.

Hyperlinks
In preparation for writing on my blog, I will be following current events in France and other blogs of a similar subject. I will share my findings with my reader by including hyperlinks in my posts.

Twitter Integration
My twitter name is meibotts. I will be using twitter to converse with individuals who are also concerned with my topic. I will re-tweet pertinent posts.