Abstract
Faiza Guene's Kiffe kiffe demain describes the coming-of-age experiences of Doria, a second-generation Franco-Maghrebi, or beur, adolescent of Moroccan origin, who lives in an economically and socially disfavored Parisian housing project. Doria's abandonment by her father, who abruptly leaves for Morocco to marry a younger woman capable of giving him a male heir, provides the novel's focus: a simultaneous critique of Maghrebi, or North African, patriarchy and a searing indictment of the socioeconomic and political dis- enfranchisement experienced by the residents of the other France, namely, Maghrebi Arab-Muslim working-class immigrants and their French-born beur children. This paper demonstrates how the protagonist's negotiation of biculturality exposes the hypocrisy of the French secularizing mission, in which all markers of difference are suspect until they are assimilated into a homogeneous ideal of sameness. At the same time, social oppression produces a vibrant vernacular culture in the projects as a contestation of second-class citizenship, racialization, and mediated representation.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
