Overview

Immigration is at the heart of social, cultural and political debate in France, a country still struggling to come to terms with its postcolonial legacy. Here Assaoui provides a radical re-examination of the assumptions about immigrants and ethnic and national identity through a study of the Maghrebis, especially their political mobilisation from the colonial to the postcolonial period. Combining insights from the archive and interviews with political activists, he examines the diaspora's voice and their struggle against racism and oppression.Through a study of key political movements, he shows how they constructed a powerful and consistent political tradition and charts the development, in France, of the Algerian anti-colonial and nationalist movement, as well as new forms of political activism during the 1970s. ""Immigration and National Identity"" foregrounds the migrants' perspective and the necessary historical background to the fraught contemporary context of immigrant communities in France. It will be valuable for all those concerned with immigration, colonialism and postcolonialism, cultural studies, sociology and the study of contemporary France.

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9781845118358

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Reviews

<p> A fascinating discussion of the discursive complexities of North African nationalist movements within the ideological framework of the inter-war period and the 1970s in France&#8230;[this book] links the historical detail to the major contemporary debates around immigration, nation and identity in France. The importance of Aissaoui&#8217;s argument is precisely that it provides a necessary historical perspective on these debates which is often lacking. It is the first major study in English to consider the role of earlier nationalist movements - the Etoile nord-africaine and the Mouvement des Travailleurs Arabes - in determining many of the debates and practices that have come to dominate the contemporary situation. &#8230; [Bringing together] detailed empirical work with a sophisticated understanding of theories of nation, race and ethnicity [this book is] an important contribution to existing literature in the area. --Max Silverman, Professor of Modern French Studies, University

A fascinating discussion of the discursive complexities of North African nationalist movements within the ideological framework of the inter-war period and the 1970s in France...[this book] links the historical detail to the major contemporary debates around immigration, nation and identity in France. The importance of Aissaoui's argument is precisely that it provides a necessary historical perspective on these debates which is often lacking. It is the first major study in English to consider the role of earlier nationalist movements - the Etoile nord-africaine and the Mouvement des Travailleurs Arabes - in determining many of the debates and practices that have come to dominate the contemporary situation. ... [Bringing together] detailed empirical work with a sophisticated understanding of theories of nation, race and ethnicity [this book is] an important contribution to existing literature in the area. --Max Silverman, Professor of Modern French Studies, University of Leeds<p> Rabah Aissaoui's book represents an important contribution to our understanding of the socio-political history of Maghrebi migrants in France, of Algerian nationalism, and of colonial and postcolonial histories of migration more generally. The comparative dimension to the study, contrasting the period 1925-1939 with that of the 1970s, has not been previously attempted. What emerges ... is an original approach to the development of the Algerian nationalist movement, especially regarding how events in France articulated with those in Algeria. ... The sub-national, national, transnational and diasporic aspects of the political discourses he has studied are very carefully articulated and analysed, and provideimportant new insights into the development of a political consciousness amongst Maghribi migrants in France. Rabah Aissaoui's monograph is well written, clear and impressively inter-disciplinary, applying history, sociology and discourse analysis to good effect. There is an excellent balance between close empirical study and conceptual discussion. --Jim House, Co-Director, Institute of Colonial and Postcolonial Studies, and Senior Lecturer, Department of French, University of Leeds

Author Information

Rabah Aissaoui received his PhD from the University of Leeds and is Lecturer in French in the School of Modern Languages at the University of Leicester.

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