Citizenship in the French Tradition. Values and Realities
Citizenship is a major issue in public debates when it comes to immigration in France. Passionate talks illustrate the current disagreements on the meaning of value such as “laïcité”, “universalism”, “equality”, “community” and on the way these should apply in social and political life.
To what extend does what people may assimilate to “laïcité” and “integration” have an impact on institutional practices? Is it possible to understand the culture of citizenship as a mere pre-established national public culture? To sum up, how can we define today the so-called French “republican model”?
Through field studies conducted in French public institutions that are the armed forces and the hospital, Christophe Bertossi offers an unprecedented look on what French citizenship refers to, beyond usual oppositions between republicanism and multiculturalism, secularity and communitarianism, public and private, values and practices.
Christophe Bertossi is a sociologist and a political scientist. He is Senior research fellow and Director of the Center for Migration and Citizenship at the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI).
La Citoyenneté à la française. Valeurs et réalités, Christophe Bertossi, CNRS Editions, 272 pages, 20 €
Contact author: bertossi@ifri.org
Contact media : Natacha Crance - crance@ifri.org