The Social Construction of French Identity: Re-Examining the French Debate on Muslim Integration

Identifier

1

Author

Yves Mai Orsino

Date

2012

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Political Science

Committee Chair

Matthias Kaelberer

Committee Member

Nicole Detraz

Abstract

The themes of this thesis are national identity and immigration. This study focuses exclusively on French identity and its tension with the Muslim community. The conventional argument of this France/Muslim conflict labels the Muslim as a threat to the state, but this thesis argues for a different approach to assessing this discourse. It posits the Republic with a larger role in dichotomizing Muslim and French identities. The thesis demonstrates how the main tenets of French Republicanism have misrepresented Muslims as a group and thus, exacerbated their failure to assimilate. It also presents a historical look into French colonization of Algeria and the development of the Muslim Other. The study concludes by explaining that the Republic can adapt its structures to fit within the globalized world to resolve the conflict with its Muslims.

Comments

Undergraduate Honor's Thesis

Library Comment

Honors thesis originally submitted to the Local University of Memphis Honor’s Thesis Repository.

Recommended Citation

Orsino, Yves Mai, "The Social Construction of French Identity: Re-Examining the French Debate on Muslim Integration" (2012). Honors Theses. 1.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/honors_theses/1