Street vending in the metropolis: Proximity, distance, and emotions between migrants and tourists in Paris

Abstract

This paper focuses on the role played by migrants in the informal economy in the emblematic tourist sites of a Global North metropolis, paying heed to their interactions with tourists. It investigates the acceptability of the migrants’ presence by probing the distance or proximity of tourists to migrant vendors. Our key hypothesis is that these subaltern assert a certain right to the city by mastering interpersonal distances with others and changing the dominant meaning attached to major tourist sites. This research draws on in‐depth fieldwork carried out in four of Paris's most famous attractions: the Eiffel Tower, Notre‐Dame, Montmartre, and the Louvre. It is based on ethnographic observations, 75 interviews in five languages with tourists, and 29 interviews with actors in the informal economy, often street vendors. Analyzing this research material has allowed us to conceptualize a wide range of strategies by which migrants negotiate their place in the city. We highlight three modalities of proxemic relationships between tourists and migrants that shape the multi‐scalar emotional experiences of these sites. These complex (im)possible proximities help us better grasp how a translocal and progressive sense of place is at stake, in the very heart of a global city.