Spaces that showcase linguistic diversity with a cause are special to me. To me, the "Mur des je t'aime" ("Wall of I love yous") in Paris's 18th arrondissement is a symbol of how differences can coexist to create beauty.

Cultural Identity & Immigrant Integration: Mutually Exclusive?

Changemaker Catalyst Award recipient Alejandra González Vargas spent six weeks in Paris during the summer of 2018 to study France’s immigration history and current NGO efforts to support immigrants in Paris. González Vargas is a Newcomb Scholar in her junior year pursuing a dual degree in Anthropology and Business Management.

 

Spaces that showcase linguistic diversity with a cause are special to me. To me, the "Mur des je t'aime" ("Wall of I love yous") in Paris's 18th arrondissement is a symbol of how differences can coexist to create beauty.
Spaces that showcase linguistic diversity with a cause are special to me. The “Mur des je t’aime” (“Wall of I love yous”) in Paris’s 18th arrondissement is a symbol of how differences can coexist to create beauty.

 

It’s one thing to know how to speak a foreign language well enough to conduct hour-long research interviews without suffering from major brain freeze; it’s another thing entirely to navigate the cultural taboos. I left for France feeling competent enough to do the former, having taken a pretty intense 4000-level French class on sixteenth and seventeenth century French literature surrounding early modern globalization the previous semester- I was nervous about the latter.

I embarked on this challenge with a singular purpose—to write a senior thesis from this tidy little research question: “How is cultural integration done right, and what are its implications for group and individual cultural identity?” To do so, I’m focusing on France as a case study, particularly looking at immigrant groups that come from former French colonies. I’ve read a lot about the subject and will continue to do so for another eighteen months or so, until I finally present my finished work at the Newcomb Scholars Symposium in the spring of 2020.

As part of the research process, I wanted to conduct interviews with representatives from NGOs that work with these immigrant communities. Thanks to the Taylor Center and several other very generous grant-awarding offices at Tulane, that project became a reality this past summer! I additionally completed a four-week study abroad program in Paris, within which I took a course to study France’s immigration history, and another to study the linguistic landscape in Paris (that is, the presence or absence of various languages in the city’s public writing). Both courses were very relevant to my work and helped me learn to navigate the city and its history before I attempted to analyze it for research purposes by myself.

 

My Amazing Interviewees

Representatives from Quartiers Solidaires spent an entire morning chatting with me. Eventually I turned the voice recorder off and our conversation took a less academic and more subjective turn, which was an incredible learning experience for me personally!
Representatives from Quartiers Solidaires spent an entire morning chatting with me. Eventually I turned the voice recorder off and our conversation took a less academic and more subjective turn, which was an incredible learning experience for me personally!

My interviewees were kind and patient with me. I stumbled through some of my questions with less-than-graceful grammar and phrasing, yet they still lent me their ears and expertise, sometimes for hours at a time. (My longest “interview” spanned two hours of morning volunteering, an hour of coffee with the team, and another two hours of lunch with my interviewees. I went home and napped immediately afterward.)

I actually got to make two copies of my design, and I kept one that I now use as a bookmark.
I actually got to make two copies of my design, and I kept one that I now use as a bookmark.

I conducted six interviews in total, either at my interviewee’s offices or at spaces where their programming was held. In one instance, I had the chance to participate in a “linogravure” workshop held by the Paris delegation of Terre des Hommes. The term literally translates to linen engraving; the practice involves carving a design into a sort of dense, plastic-like material to then use it to stamp the design onto a strip of linen. The objective of the workshop, which is meant for minorities whose voices often go unheard, is to provide a space where attendees can express themselves freely with tangible results. The final products are carefully stored away in a growing collection, which will be on display this fall at a festival dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity.

 

The Taboos

I’ve had all kinds of political conversations about culture and immigration inside and outside the classroom since starting college. We talk about cultural appropriation all the time, especially around Halloween. I’ve explained many a time that Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. (But it is a legitimate holiday with a fascinating history behind it that you should definitely read about!) I’ve participated in classroom debates about the merits and drawbacks of affirmative action. Drumpf’s wall commentary has been background noise since freshman year. The list goes on.

The French talk about these things too, but differently. Their term for affirmative action is actually discrimination positive, which translates exactly the way it looks like it would. It’s a touchy subject, more than in the U.S., I think. They have a concept—communautarisme—which translates into “communitarianism” and it is also very touchy but very widely known. (When have you ever heard someone use “communitarianism” in a sentence?) In France, it holds a lot of negative connotations, but they’re colloquial and don’t really show up in the dictionary.

This WordReference forum about communautarisme is a good example of what the word can mean and how it’s used. More on this below.
This WordReference forum about communautarisme is a good example of what the word can mean and how it’s used. More on this below.

A French census will not ask you to check a box for “race.” Some applaud this for the same reasons that it’s pretty controversial in the USA. It’s a struggle for researchers, though, because there is no simple and efficient way to understand France’s demographic composition and its evolution over time beyond categories like “citizen” and “noncitizen.” But this reflects how the French think. To effectively conduct my research interviews, I had to learn to navigate the language they use and the political and historical reasoning behind their cultural taboos. I don’t know that I succeeded in full, but my interviews went very well and gave me a lot more to ponder.

 

The French Perspective on Immigration

Here’s what’s so interesting about it to me, in a nutshell: the American way of thinking about immigration, current politics aside, has always been my main point of reference. In the USA, someone can be Mexican-American, Chinese-American, etc. You can embrace a foreign culture within your household and your own person, and at the same time embrace an American identity and lifestyle. This is a country of immigrants, a blend of histories. (Yes, this is an oversimplification, but this blog post can only go on for so long!)

In France, you’re French or you’re not. And if you become French, you really have to embrace French-ness to actually become French. (Again, please excuse the oversimplification.) In 1993, they passed a law (la Loi Méhaignerie) that specified new citizenship conditions for children born in France to immigrant parents—rather than receiving citizenship at birth, they have to request it between ages 16 and 22, and must have lived in France during the 5 years prior to the request. The French are also big on the concept of laïcité, which sort of translates to secularism. It roughly means that you need to keep cultural markers, most any marker of difference really, to yourself. Everyone in France is equal, so there’s no need to highlight difference, because you will only ever be seen as that—a person equal to all.

To exemplify this, consider the hijab controversy in France. This debate actually dates back to 1989, when three girls were expelled from elementary school for refusing to remove their hijabs. The French sort-of equivalent of the USA’s Supreme Court, the Conseil d’État, ruled that the school could continue forbidding “ostentatious” and “distracting” adornments if it wanted to, but recommended considering the concept of liberty of conscience before making that decision. (Look that up—it’s a crucial part of this debate that I think goes unmentioned far too often!)

Think about that in contrast to affirmative action in the USA. The USA chooses to highlight difference to recognize that different segments of the populations have different needs, and that these needs and differences have tangible, historical, valid reasons behind them. The American definition of equality relies on acknowledging difference and designing public life according to it. Ultimately, France and the USA are both working towards a value they hold high—equality—but in their own way. This core difference has a strong ripple effect that goes on to define many contrasts between the USA and France within the discourse on immigration, and I’m sure myriad other topics as well.

It's important to understand that the French do, of course, recognize history's influence present society. The National Immigration Museum is a good example--it has a fascinating history and is a rather controversial space, but its presence has meaning and carries weight.
It’s important to understand that the French do, of course, recognize history’s influence on present society. The National Immigration Museum is a good example–it has a fascinating history and is a rather controversial space, but its presence carries meaning.

Cultural Identity

This is what I study. In France, generally speaking, immigrants are expected to integrate into society by behaving secularly and, if they aspire to obtain a French nationality, by behaving French. I’m trying to understand how this environment affects cultural identity because it’s something I personally care about. My own cultural identity as a Mexican woman has been heavily influenced by my life’s proximity to American culture, and I’ve dedicated a lot of time to reflect upon this. When I started learning about French perspectives on integration, I began to wonder what my life would be like as a foreigner in that environment. I felt like I had an incomplete picture, which propelled me to look further into this topic.

I think this merits discussion. I think NGOs that plan immigrant integration programming should bring the question of cultural identity into consideration when they map their goals and the strategies they use to meet them. Someday, I’d like to work for one of these organizations and be able to contribute to that discussion and those plans. I am immensely grateful to the Taylor Center and all those who supported me this summer for the opportunity to take a firm step in that direction.

The Mur pour la Paix ("Wall for Peace") at the Champ de Mars is another excellent example of linguistic diversity showcased for a cause. The monument is fenced off against vandalism, and is a tad controversial (it should have been removed over a decade ago), but its meaning is obvious and important. The word "peace" is engraved on it in 32 different languages.
The Mur pour la Paix (“Wall for Peace”) at the Champ de Mars is another excellent example of linguistic diversity showcased for a cause. The monument is fenced off against vandalism, and is a tad controversial (it should have been removed over a decade ago), but its meaning is obvious and important. The word “peace” is engraved on it in 32 different languages.

 

Acknowledgements

My immense gratitude to the project’s many supporters:

  • Dr. Klingler of the Tulane Department of French and Italian, for serving as a project advisor from its inception
  • My interviewees, whose insight has shaped this project: Xavier Verzat, Aura Rojas, Abdelsem Ghazi, Pierre-Emmanuel Couralet and Mustapha, Georges from La Cimade, and Clotilde Bonnemason. Merci!
  • Dr. Reuber of the Tulane Department of French and Italian, for her support towards ensuring my participation in her study abroad program
  • Dr. Sloan from Tulane’s International Development department, Dr. Wikström from the Department of French and Italian, Dr. Huet from the Center for Public Service, and Dr. Edwards from the Department of History for lending their expertise to the project’s initial design
  • The Center for Academic Equity, in particular Dr. Booke and Ms. Allen, for the financial support and for the opportunity to present my work at the 2018 Idea Symposium
  • The Newcomb College Institute, in particular Julie Henriquez and Betsy Lopez, for the financial support and for the Newcomb Scholars Program’s encouragement towards research
  • The Office of Study Abroad, in particular Joseph Michel, for the financial support and its excellent “Summer in Paris” study abroad program
  • The Taylor Center, in particular Ms. Fleurinor, for the financial support and willingness to help this project fit its specific guidelines
  • Newcomb-Tulane College, for the financial support and overseas logistical aid (thank you, Ms. Weber!)

 

Contact Info

If you’d like to learn more about my project or share any thoughts on it, feel free to look me up at linkedin.com/in/agvalejandra or contact me at agonza2@tulane.edu.