College
College of Arts and Sciences
Major
Political Science and French
Faculty Mentor
El Hadji Malick Ndiaye
Faculty Editor
El Hadji Malick Ndiaye
Student Editor
Delphine Shenk
Abstract
Historical ties between France and the Maghreb continue to shape and inform the experiences of the Maghrebi population in contemporary French society. There is an extensive Maghrebi population in France as a result of France’s colonial history in the region and subsequent migration. The Maghrebi populations face structural and social barriers in French society, including employment and education disparities, spatial segregation, and social Otherization. Maghrebi communities are only one example of France’s structural discrimination against non-European populations. This work aims to unpack the historical, political, and economic factors that resulted in French colonization of the Maghreb and relate these to the experience of Maghrebians in French society today. The research also integrates fieldwork in France to better understand the daily Maghrebi experience. Through examining these aspects alongside social movements such as the Beur Movement and the 2005 riots, the paper critiques the French Republican model’s inherent incapability of fostering thriving multicultural societies. It points out the irony of French universalism, highlighting the gaps between France’s stated ideals, liberté, égalité, fraternité (liberty, equality, and fraternity), and the lived experiences of non-European immigrant populations, such as the Maghrebi community.
Recommended Citation
Gohar, Mariam
(2025)
"Maghrebi Identity & Integration in France: Colonial Legacies and Contemporary Realities,"
SUURJ: Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 9, Article 17.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/suurj/vol9/iss1/17