The Paradox of French Multiculturalism



When presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron was asked if France was multicultural in 2017, he responded, “There is not one French culture; France is diverse and multiple.” He quickly added, however, “France has never been, and will never be, a multicultural nation.” In this course, we will explore this seeming paradox through an historical and sociological approach. We will start with the ancien régime’s exceptional cultural diversity after which we will analyze the Republic’s attempt to construct a national culture around which to unify its citizens at the end of the 19th century through 1940. We will end with an examination of the challenges postcolonial immigration pose for today’s France. Short papers weekly, choice of final project (podcast, reportage, video in consultation with professor).