With no way out and with no allies: Riots in French "banlieues"

Abstract

Riots in French "banlieues" can be properly understood only within a context of the French economic and social history in the last few decades. "Trente glorieuses", the increase of the immigrant population, French "welfare state" and urban politics, the effects of the economic crisis of the 70`s, dismantling and marginalization of the working class environment, concentration of the unemployment and poverty in the "banlieues", segregation and ghettoization - these are the necessary elements of any sociological interpretation of the actual crisis. Between the "urban poverty" and the riots, several mediations have also an important impact: new security policy and police violence - the evolution of Welfare state towards the Penal state, new forms of racism and social exclusions, inefficiency of the "Republican model of integration", suburban youth sub-culture as an attempt of neutralizing the growing stigma etc. Persistent treating of a segment of citizenry as suspect, intrinsically prone to violence - as potential enemies, could prove to be, in the future, a self-fulfilling prophecy.