Publish at September 25 2016 Updated September 27 2023
What a delicate subject. The integration of new arrivals and their children into the host society. It's a topic that causes gnashing of teeth throughout the West. The dilemma is heartbreaking. We have to welcome people desperate for a better life and be open. On the other hand, there are also strong movements to stem the tide and, above all, to question the possibilities of integrating individuals into national values. Certain unfortunate events in the news obviously fuel this point of view, whereas the vast majority of immigrants want nothing more than to integrate.
In short, integration is difficult. Social gaps are widening, and migrants and their families find themselves in so-called "sensitive" neighborhoods. No matter how many attempts have been made to improve these poorer areas, the fact remains that the invisible separation has been going on for 30 years in France. Until recently, there were no real scientific studies on the integration of new arrivals in France. Fortunately, this changed with the winter 2016 publication of the INED (Institut national d'études démographiques) study.
The research, which was carried out in 2008-2009 on the first two generations of immigrants, showed that while they felt French, the feeling was not reciprocated. This "Frenchness" is a one-way street, particularly in the socio-economic sphere, where even the second generation, though born in France, find it harder to enter the job market. And when they do, it's often in jobs well below their skills and with a very slow ascent. Discrimination is even greater among the men and sons of North Africans, who have a lower level of schooling, and in a third of cases no qualifications at all, and end up living in these so-called "sensitive" neighborhoods.
And now we come to school. INED (the French National Institute for Educational Development) has taken an interest in this issue, and has pointed out that it is perhaps the weakest link in French integration. Indeed, the dropout rate is much higher for boys than for girls. INED points to a certain laxity towards male children, particularly in families that come from a more masculine culture. As a result, teenage girls don't give up, if at all, as they seek to emancipate themselves from men.
Beyond the study, it's the teachers who have to confront this reality. And try to juggle all the situations that accumulate in the classroom. This teacher, Rachid Zerrouki, paints a fair picture, a little sad but with a hint of hope. Because you need hope when you have the impression that unemployed parents are going to pass on the same fate to their children, that there are conflicts to deal with every day and that the children's realities are multiple, from war refugees to descendants of nomadic peoples who are amazed by today's comforts and technologies.
Not to mention that, as the teacher reminds us, the children of immigrants, even those born in France, are not naturalized until they are 18. The task of transmitting republican values to young people who are practically excluded from this republic until they come of age is therefore an arduous one. All the more so when we have to emphasize the "benefits" of colonization without painting a more neutral and nuanced picture (with less glowing sides).
And yet, despite what many people and the media believe, they don't carry hatred within them. For the most part, they just want to please their teacher. However, according to sociologist Robert K. Merton, there is an inverted Pygmalion effect, a Golem effect (a reference to the Jewish myth of a clay figure with no free will), which surreptitiously encourages them to become those words associated in the media with newcomers: drug dealers, the unemployed, criminals, terrorists...
So, what should we do in the face of such sad facts? Above all, don't be discouraged. Of course, integration is not perfect, but it is still possible. What's more, many second-generation children end up integrating and creating a third generation. INED will be looking into this in the next few years. Nevertheless, there's still a lot of work to be done to break down socio-economic discrimination among migrants.
What if digital technology could help young people integrate into French society? Back in 2011, organizations such as CitésLab, which offers all kinds of activities for young men and women from disadvantaged neighborhoods to help them become, among other things, entrepreneurs, were already trying to avoid a digital divide among these disadvantaged areas.
In Marseilles, young adults from disadvantaged neighborhoods can recently benefit from SIMPLon Mars, a social factory for young coders where they learn to code for free at the prestigious Centrale engineering school. It's a way of giving them the tools and skills they need to get or create jobs in the digital sector.
But these examples are just a few projects here and there. For real, massive integration to take place, larger-scale actions will be needed to encourage generations of migrants to believe that they have a future in their host country. In short, it's time to act.
Illustration: Dreaming in the deep south via Foter.com / CC BY
References
Assoumani, Ali. "How Teaching In Marseille's Northern Neighborhoods Changed My Vision Of Society." VICE. Last updated April 6, 2015. http://www.vice.com/fr/read/tribune-comment-enseigner-dans-les-quartiers-nord-de-marseille-a-change-ma-vision-de-la-societe-783?utm_source=vicefbfr.
Baumard, Maryline. "Emploi, école : Les Réussites Et Les Blocages De L'intégration En France." Le Monde.fr. Last updated: January 8, 2016. http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2016/01/08/les-enfants-d-immigres-s-integrent-mais-restent-victimes-du-chomage-et-de-la-discrimination_4843872_3224.html.
CitésLab. Accessed September 20, 2016. http://www.citeslab.fr/grand_public/actualites-citeslab/.
François, Jean-Baptiste. "La Difficile Intégration Des Immigrés De La Deuxième Génération." La Croix. Last updated January 8, 2016. http://www.la-croix.com/Actualite/France/La-difficile-integration-des-immigres-de-la-deuxieme-generation-2016-01-08-1401825.
"L'"intégration à Sens Unique" Des Immigrés En France - Libération." Libération.fr. Last updated: January 8, 2016. http://www.liberation.fr/france/2016/01/08/l-integration-a-sens-unique-des-immigres-en-france_1425133.
"L'intégration En France, Enfin Une étude Scientifique!" Les Clés Du Social. Last updated March 12, 2016. http://www.clesdusocial.com/l-integration-en-france-enfin-une-etude-scientifique.
"Quand Le Numérique Aide à L'insertion Dans Les Quartiers Défavorisés." Regards Sur Le Numérique. Last update: May 18, 2011.
https://archives.rsln.fr/fil/quand-le-numerique-aide-a-linsertion-dans-les-quartiers-defavorises/
Rouchard, Samantha. "Quand Les Jeunes En échec Scolaire D'hier Deviennent Les Diplômés Du Numérique De Demain." Basta! Last updated: January 13, 2016. http://www.bastamag.net/Les-Marsiens-de-Centrale.
Stive, Dany. "Quartier Populaire: Qu'est-ce Que ça Veut Dire?" L'Humanité. Last updated April 1, 2016. http://www.humanite.fr/quartier-populaire-quest-ce-que-ca-veut-dire-603535.
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