Second-Generation Maghrebis in France: Immigration, Identity, and Belonging

Undergraduate / Graduate

France is home to the largest Muslim population in Western Europe, of which the majority is of North African descent. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, Maghrebi immigrants were subject to various forms of discrimination and violence. In recent years, ongoing debates on immigration and citizenship have shed light on the enduring legacies of French imperialism, along with the widely held perception of France's failure to effectively integrate its African and Muslim minorities. This course explores how narrative works by second-generation Maghrebis respond to these debates by addressing questions about collective memory, socioeconomic inequalities, police brutality, intergenerational relationships, and the banlieue environment. Authors studied may include Mehdi Charef, Azouz Begag, Leïla Sebbar, Faïza Guène, and Kaoutar Harchi.