From victims to culprits? The reshaping of local antidiscrimination policy in France

Abstract

ABSTRACT While France is often described as a representative case of colour-blindness, recent decades have seen the adoption of antidiscrimination as a public policy objective. However, its implementation remains problematic. This study attempts to make sense of this, exploring the challenges of adopting and implementing antidiscrimination policy in France; and the ways in which disagreements between stakeholders about what discrimination is and how to fight it complicate the issue. The analysis was based on qualitative interviews that examined the adoption and the implementation of antidiscrimination policies in Vaulx-en-Velin, a suburb of Lyon. While the analysis indicates that it is a good example of what can be implemented at a local level, it also demonstrates the vagueness surrounding the concept of antidiscrimination and how it weakens the fight against discrimination in France.