Judicial Presence in Seine-Saint-Denis, France
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Syracuse University SURFACE Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Geography - Dissertations Affairs 5-2013 The Territorialization of the 'Republican Law': Judicial Presence in Seine-Saint-Denis, France Joaquin Villanueva Syracuse University Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/geo_etd Part of the Geography Commons Recommended Citation Villanueva, Joaquin, "The Territorialization of the 'Republican Law': Judicial Presence in Seine-Saint-Denis, France" (2013). Geography - Dissertations. 79. https://surface.syr.edu/geo_etd/79 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Geography - Dissertations by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract This dissertation investigates the presence of the courts in the spaces of everyday life in social housing estates located in Seine-Saint-Denis (northeast of Paris). Since the 1990s the judiciary has actively sponsored the territorialization of the courts (la territorialisation de la Justice) as the most adept measure to respond to a series of problems often understood as essentially “local”: crime, revolts, “incivilities,” and insecurity. The dissertation examines the proliferation of new judicial structures in crime-prone areas, and the increasing involvement of judges in local partnerships to more efficiently fight crime and prevent collective violence among youths from immigrant origins. More specifically, the Houses of Justice and Law, or Maisons de Justice et du droit, and the Local Groups for the Treatment of Delinquency, or Groupes Locaux du Traitement de la Delinquance (GLTD), in Seine-Saint-Denis are analyzed in order to demonstrate the increasing role of the judiciary in the production of urban space. Through the analysis of semi-structured interviews with local officials, policy documents, newspaper articles, and secondary sources the dissertation argues that the spatial reorganization of the judicial system reflects the state’s necessity to be physically present in the everyday lives of the population of social housing estates. This physical presence, in turn, allows the French state to re-assert its authority and reclaim its legitimacy in places that continually challenge it. Moreover, the objective of the dissertation is to explain why that is so, how it has gone about becoming present, and what that means for the everyday lives of (“immigrant”) youth of housing estates. The dissertation contributes to state theories in the geographic literature by stressing that present-day state theories tend to accentuate the spatial reorganization of contemporary states according to the demands of capital accumulation. However, the dissertation argues that due attention is given to the construction of new penal spaces as these are becoming important sites where states exert their contested authority and expand their geographies of power. More specifically, the dissertation contributes to debates on the penal state by focusing attention to the territorialization of the courts rather than the police who have received significant attention in geographic debates. In other words, the dissertation seeks to depict the judiciary as a territorial institution, a point seldom highlighted in the social sciences. The territorialization of the ‘Republican law’: Judicial presence in Seine-Saint-Denis, France by Joaquín Villanueva B.A., Universidad de Puerto Rico, 2003 M.A., Syracuse University, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography. Syracuse University May 2013 Copyright © Joaquín Villanueva May 2013 All Rights Reserved Acknowledgements It is very hard for me to acknowledge each and every person who helped me reach this point. I should’ve made a note every time someone encouraged me to continue, advised me, or just simply invited me for a drink so I could forget about my writing. But I never did. If you don’t find yourself in this note please excuse me, I should’ve been more methodical. Needless to say, I want to thank every person that I encountered between 2003 and 2012. This journey began in 2003 when I first arrived in Syracuse to pursue my M.A. in Geography. I came straight from Puerto Rico with a thick accent and a shyness that took years to overcome. At Syracuse everyone encouraged me and helped ease the transition process in many ways. Tod Rutherford was instrumental in that first phase. He took a big risk by agreeing to advise me during those first two years. I still remember our first meeting in his office. I asked him “why do you want to work with me?” He simply said “because I like your research interests.” I still don’t buy that answer – my research interests were all over the place – but he must have seen something that no one else did. For that I thank him. Tod helped me understand the perks of grad student life, the demands of classes and research, and, above all, he made me believe that I was capable of accomplishing all those and more. For that and for being an excellent advisor, committee member, professor, colleague, and friend, I want to thank Tod for his support throughout all these years. During those first two years of grad school I met new friends and colleagues that helped me through life. In particular, I want to thank Caro Harper, Georgina Perks, Gerardo, Alyson Newquist, Bob Ross, Clayton Rosati, Jamey Essex, Reecia Orzeck, Chelsea Teale, Amy Work, Brenden McNeil, Karen Culcasi, and Dave Call. I want to extend special thanks to Rich Van v Deusen who was always willing to help me while I was doing research in Paris. I also want to thank Dan and Marc for their hospitality, Veli for her invaluable intellectual and emotional support and her endless enthusiasm, and my best friend Felix who at that time was at Indiana going through the same growing pains of grad school. The main reason I stayed in Syracuse for my Ph.D. was the friendship of Elvin Delgado and Matt Himley, the best roommates one could have. 263 Fellows was a dream house, not just for its architecture and coziness but the people who lived there. The support, camaraderie, and respect we had for each other remains unmatched by anyone. I can easily say that those were the best years of my life and words can’t really describe how great it was. The three of us encouraged each other and it made my grad school life fun and productive. I will forever value their friendship. We had the best parties grad students could throw and I’m real proud of that too. During my Ph.D. Don Mitchell agreed to become my advisor. Since the beginning, Don has been simply amazing. He is one big reason why I am here right now writing the last few words of my dissertation. I still remember when I first went to Syracuse and how Don interceded on my behalf. According to the graduate school I had to take a one year English language course to overcome my “deficiencies.” Without knowing me that well, Don went to the administration and successfully argued that I did not have to take any language classes. He was simply fighting for what was right and just. Don came to me and told me that I no longer had to take the course and later said perhaps the words that fuel my motivation for years to come “don’t let me down.” I knew right away that I had to proof to myself and Don that his actions weren’t in vain. Since 2005 Don has been instrumental in guiding and framing my research, motivating me, encouraging me, and pushing me beyond boundaries I didn’t even know existed. There were many times when Don became frustrated with my lack of productivity. He always sought new vi ways to motivate me and at times his tactics did not work, not for lack of trying. One day Don, already consumed by his frustrations, questioned my capacity to finish my Ph.D – I still think this was his best motivational tactic. Susan, on the other hand, helped maintain the hope alive. From that point on I decided that it was time to finish once and for all. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but without Don’s guidance and persistence I would’ve never finish my doctoral degree. For that I will always be grateful. He taught me the value of perseverance, solidarity, and justice. He taught me how to become a better scholar and person. Above all, Don has always demonstrated a willingness to genuinely help those he cares about. I hope I can be as good a colleague, person, and advisor as Don. I want to replicate Don’s passion for greatness and for justice. Thank you. Special thanks go to the administrative staff in the Geography Department for their willingness to help – without them the department wouldn’t operate on a daily basis. Thanks Christine Chapman, Jackulyn Wells, Margie Johnson, and Joe Stoll. Thanks for smiling every time you saw me. Many others inside and outside academia also helped me reach this point. In particular I want to thank: Sandra Sanchez, José Gonzalez, Keith Lindner, Kafui Attoh, Emily Billo, Anna Lumsden, Lisa Bhungalia, Phil Birge-Liberman, Tina Catania, Anthony Cummings, Ben Mosiane, Emily Kaufman, Barbara Green, Katie Wells, Patrick Vitale, Effie Scott, He Wang, Eunyoung Choi, Flavia Rey de Castro, Ishan Ashutosh, Evan Weissman, Claudia Ash, Brent Olson, Jacob Shell, Nancy Hiemstra, Beatriz Bustos, Gabriela Bustos, Patricio Castro, Carlos Gardeazabal, Fatima Espinoza, Vincent Stevens, Rodrigo Hernandez, Ben Gerloff, Paola Castellani, Paula Sanchez, David Pittman, Andres Kwon, Barbara Rodriguez, Michael Wheeler, Anthony Fisher, Mario Martone, Thor Ritz, Mitul Baruah, Sanjukta Mukherjee, Laam Hae, Jill vii Stackhouse, Jim Ketchum, Darlene Hilburn, Rebecca Weinbar, Aman Luthra, Eli Moore, Matt Hidek, Michael Commons, Alison Mountz, Gavin Bridge, Beverly Mullings, Jake Bendix, Susan Millar, Matt Huber, Bob Wilson, Mark Monmonier, Tom Perreault, Jonnell Robinson, Jamie Winders, Ken Baynes, Bill Kelleher, Linda Alcoff, John Mercer, Camille Schmoll, Catherine Rhein, Géographie-Cité, colleagues at the Université Paris 7, and all those who agreed to be interviewed during my time in Paris.