French Postcolonial Migration & the Politics of Sub-Saharan Identity
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Syracuse University SURFACE Dissertations - ALL SURFACE May 2019 Beyond the Banlieue: French Postcolonial Migration & the Politics of Sub-Saharan Identity Kishauna Elaine Soljour Syracuse University Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/etd Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Recommended Citation Soljour, Kishauna Elaine, "Beyond the Banlieue: French Postcolonial Migration & the Politics of Sub- Saharan Identity" (2019). Dissertations - ALL. 1002. https://surface.syr.edu/etd/1002 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the SURFACE at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations - ALL by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract “Beyond the Banlieue: French Postcolonial Migration & the Politics of a Sub-Saharan Identity” details and historicizes the interstitial area between French state acculturation policies and the lived experience of Afro-French residents from 1945-2018. The project uses oral histories from Black communities in Paris to reveal a rich legacy of sociopolitical, economic and cultural efforts to navigate and negotiate this divide. These narratives offer an alternative perspective to prevailing scholarly and popular discourses emphasizing decline, resentment, intractability and rebellion as the defining features of French race relations in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. This dissertation examines the attempts and attitudes of activists, entrepreneurs, artists, authors, teachers, youth and politicians to reclaim a largely untold history of the way that three generations of African migrants have contested the “invisibility” of race and the shortcomings of state policy to forge communities and multilayered identities in the postcolonial era. Interweaving the processes of migration and acculturation, this project mines the experiences of black diasporic populations in Paris over the past seventy years to reimagine the place and power of race in contemporary French history. Beyond the Banlieue: French Postcolonial Migration & the Politics of a Sub-Saharan Identity by Kishauna Elaine Soljour B.A., Syracuse University, 2013 M.A., Syracuse University, 2016 M. Phil., Syracuse University, 2016 Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Syracuse University May 2019 Copyright © Kishauna Elaine Soljour, 2019 All Rights Reserved In loving memory of mi abuela Gloria E. Morales, who taught me perseverance and my great-uncle William F. Crum, who taught me persistence. Together these forces and their love sustained me and this project. Acknowledgements Over the years, a host of individuals and groups indelibly shaped this project. Syracuse University and the History Department funded the majority of the research, writing and editing that comprise this dissertation. Funding from the Moynihan Institute’s Center for European Studies, the Roscoe-Martin Fund and a Ronald E. McNair Fellowship financed additional archival and ethnographic research. A group of activists, intellectuals and Afro-French citizens were critical to breathing life into this project. I am indebted to the following individuals: Gaelle, Laurent, Fanta, Christian, Kady, Kahi, Patricia, Elikya, Sophien, Mikeal, René, Ibrahim, Franck, Medina, Abdallah, Baba and Oumou. Thank you for entrusting me with your life experiences. I am much obliged to Professor Pap Ndiaye, Professor Mabaoula Soumahouro, Professor Louis-Georges Tin and Suzanne Diop for taking time out of their hectic schedules to discuss my research and challenge my Americanisms. I am grateful to Joel Dreyfuss, Luc Saint-Éloy, Astrid Stiwanker, Cathlixe Beyala, Kevi Donat, Sylvia Serbin, Sidiki Bakaba and Isabelle Boni-Claverie for shaping much of my analysis on activism and media in Paris. Finally, Thomas Plaza walked me through years of football history. He helped me understand how much the sport and its players mean to Black French people. Words are not enough to thank the faculty that encouraged and pushed me to my full potential as a budding scholar. As an undergraduate student, Professor Janis Mayes accepted my application to join the 2011 Paris Noir cohort. This study abroad program changed the trajectory of my life. She served as my mentor and inspired me to consider graduate school as a veritable option. Most importantly, she believed that my research needed to continue. Without her vision, v support and network, this project would not exist. (Jërëjëf!) A special thank you to the African American Studies Department for providing me with a home. Over the past 10 years, Professor Herbert Ruffin, Professor Rennie Simson, Professor Linda Carty, Professor Joan Bryant and Ms. Williams contributed to my growth as a person and also reminded me to share this knowledge with the community. (Ujima) Mere acknowledgments are insufficient to recognize my dissertation committee. On each of the following pages, you will hear the voices of Jeffrey Gonda, Junko Takeda and Gladys McCormick. For six years, my advisor Jeffrey Gonda dedicated incalculable hours to molding me into a stalwart historian. From countless meetings, suggestions for revisions and his never- ending efforts to make my writing stronger and contributions to the field more pronounced, I am eternally grateful for your mentorship. Professor Takeda, thank you for rescuing me in France and remaining a constant source of support as well as always providing razor-sharp critique. Professor McCormick, I am especially thankful that you equipped me with the toolkit and methodology of oral history. This project endeavors to reflect your training and bring marginalized voices to the fore. Professor Murphy, thank you for your encouragement and belief that I should continue teaching within and beyond the confines of academia. I am forever indebted to each of you for investing in me and making sure I saw this project through to the finish line. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the following individuals. Bob Davis challenged me to re-think the contours of economic opportunity. Scarlett Rebman, Dr. Crystal Eddins, Joelle Nivens, Tom Bouril, Mohammad Ebad Athar, Camilla Bell, Max Lewis and Malcolm Bevel each served as steadfast colleagues. Their comments and critiques helped refine this project. vi To my family and friends, who cheered me on from start to finish, this dissertation is for you. My deepest appreciation for being patient as I missed countless holidays, birthdays, life milestones and personal crises while in France, pulling all-nighters or simply disappearing for days and sometimes weeks. Finally, I would not have made it without my parents, Shawn and François Soljour. Your prayers, unwavering faith, love, and support made this possible. Not only did it keep me sane as I balanced life on two different continents but it reminded me that I am not an island. Thank you for sacrificing more than I’ll ever know. You will forever have my undying love and gratitude. (Tetelestai) vii Table of Contents Content Pages List of Illustrative Materials ix-x Introduction –Africa on the Seine: Immigration, Community 1- 30 and the Post-Colonial Diaspora Chapter One – From the Seuil de Tolerance to Zero Tolerance: 31-86 Charting the shifting attitudes toward immigration from 1945 to 1974 in France Chapter Two – Tout pour la famille: Mother Africa and the 87-149 Paternal Practices of France Chapter Three – A Niche of their Own: Afro-French Employment 150-217 and Entrepreneurship Chapter Four – Le Pouvoir Noir: The Politics of Identity, 218-271 Pan-Africanism and Social Justice Epilogue – Africa, France and the Future: “Liberty, equality, 272-279 Mbappé & the 2018 World Cup Abbreviations 280-281 Glossary 282-284 Image Credits and Permissions 285-286 Bibliography 287-320 Vita 321-324 viii List of Illustrative Materials Figure 1 – Page 3 Claude Mamba Sy in 1945. Figure 2 – Page 52 Paulin Vieyra (pictured standing on the left) and Mamadou Sarr (pictured seated) in 1955 during the filming of Afrique sur Seine. Figure 3 – Page 56 The African “student” character descending from a street car in the film Afrique sur Seine. Figure 4 –Page 57 The African “street sweeper” character interrupted from his work by an elderly African man asking for a cigarette in the film Afrique sur Seine. Figure 5 – Page 59 The central African male “student” character seen laughing and talking with a young white French woman on a motorcycle in the film Afrique sur Seine. Figure 6 – Page 60 The “worker” character represented by the street sweeper in the film Afrique sur Seine. Figure 7 – Page 67 An African immigrant street sweeper in 1963. Figure 8 – Page 88 A map of Paris and its outer suburbs. Figure 9 – Page 117 Madjiguène Cissé (pictured on the left) and Ababacar Diop (pictured holding the microphone) at a press conference on August 21, 1996. Figure 10 – Page 128 The 1998 French World Cup team after their historic win. Figure 11 – Page 170 Kahi Lumumba for an article in Jeune Afrique. ix Figure 12 – Page 176 Oumou Diasse as the Conseillère municipale de Créteil. Figure 13 – Page 182 Kady Mash in his custom tie and suit jacket. Figure 14 – Page 189 Patricia Lubelo gathering materials for one of her events. Figure 15 – Page 194 Christian Joao before a business meeting. Figure 16 – Page 225 Luc Saint-Éloy and Calixthe Beyala pictured during the 2000 César Awards. Figure 17 – Page 238 Omar Sy (as Driss) in the film, Intouchables during the police chase scene. Figure 18 – Page 252 Alice Diop during the 2017 César Awards. Figure 19 – Page 261 Assa Traoré during a “Justice for Adama” march on July 22, 2017. Figure 20 – Page 273 Paul Pogba (pictured left) and Kylian Mbappé (pictured right) after their World Cup Final win. x Introduction: Africa on the Seine: Immigration, Community and the Post-Colonial Diaspora The long avenue of the Champs-Élysées was crowded with thousands of soldiers and civilians on August 26, 1944. Even before the formal parade began, joyous spectators celebrated in the street. As the 2nd Armored Division of the French army marched toward the Arc de Triomphe, bystanders hugged each other as they watched their heroes pass by.