Reflexivity, Third Space, and Representation: Radical Reimaginings of the Banlieue in Swagger (2016)

Abstract

This article considers the construction and reimaging of the banlieue space in Olivier Babinet’s 2016 film, Swagger. It is informed by Homi Bhabha’s concept of Third Space, and explores the ways in which the film challenges reductive representations of the banlieue and its inhabitants, the violent rhetoric of French Universalism, and the myth of national identity. Swagger employs reflexive strategies that challenge dominant notions about the banlieue space and population that are rooted in colonialism and White supremacy. In doing so, it reveals the connections between cinematic representation, systemic violence, and spatial transformation.