Rupture or Reproduction? ‘New’ citizenship in France

Abstract

This article examines citizenship theory in the light of three cases of political action of women of migrant (Maghrebi) origins. We argue that Engin Isin's concept of ‘acts of citizenship’ (2008) allows a new perspective on the ways in which these women asserted themselves as citizens, that moves beyond the ‘new citizenship’ repertoire provided by the mouvement beur of the 1980s. We argue that some dimensions of these activities can be conceived of as ‘acts of citizenship’: deeds that rupture social-historical patterns as well as everyday routines. Notably, these women seek a path independent of traditional political movements; while rooted in their localities, at the same time they take into account their transnational consciousness, negotiate patriarchal practices and renegotiate the exclusions of French republican citizenship. However, the challenges of the interplay between ‘acts’ that challenge existing patterns and activity which reproduces existing relations of domination need to be more fully considered. We explore the limits to the notion of rupture and the ways in which ‘acts’ are co-opted and (unintentionally) reproduce existing relations of domination. By exploring the problematic of rupture/reproduction, we build on the concept of ‘acts of citizenship’ to provide a way in which the vibrant politics in-between rupture and reproduction can be grasped and new forms of citizenship made visible.