The debate on the local citizenship of migrant populations and those born from migrant populations has been vibrant for the past thirty years. Its contents have nevertheless undergone several changes.
The local dimension of citizenship progressively made its way to the forefront following the settlement of out of town actors in suburban areas. The role now makes the concept of local citizenship a mixture of republican values, ethnicity and Islam: cultural mediators, ethnic entrepreneurs and other 'big brothers' for whom the local aspect is at the heart of legitimacy.
As for the State, it has embarked upon a largely territorialized integration policy in order to curb urban violence. It places the district at the heart of the town's policies while at the same time delegating some of its skills to associations. These associations shall have a republican discourse, while functioning according to communal practices.
The result is a mixture of 'republican ethnicity' and 'religious belief', all integrated into the local dimensions of citizenship though at the same time introducing new aspects such as the expression of a practising citizen conveyed by new preachers attempting to reconcile fidelity to Islam with citizens' engagement. Other new aspects include the media's role in the construction of Muslim communities in immigration and the process of identification linked to local citizenship.
Rémy Leveau is a scienfific adviser at Ifri (Islam, Arabic world).
Catherine Wihtol de Wenden is a research Director at the Centre d'études et de recherches internationales (CNRS).
Khadija Mohsen-Finan is a research fellow at Ifri (Islam, Maghreb).
New European Identity and Citizenship
This book is the last one of a 4-volumes series published with the support of the Ford Foundation and which are part of a research program conducted within Ifri. It deals with the new forms of citizenship and identities in Europe that have emerged with the settlement of migrants in various European countries:
1. Nouvelles citoyennetés: réfugiés et sans-papiers dans l'espace européen, R. Leveau, C. Wihtol de Wenden et K. Mohsen-Finan (eds), Paris, Ifri, Travaux et recherches de l'Ifri, 2001;
2. L'Islam en France et en Allemagne. Identités et citoyennetés, R. Leveau,C. Wihtol de Wenden et K. Mohsen-Finan (eds), Paris, La Documentation française, 2001;
3. New European Identity and Citizenship, R. Leveau, C. Wihtol de Wenden et K. Mohsen-Finan (eds), London, Ashgate Publishing, 2002;
4. De la citoyenneté locale, R. Leveau, C. Wihtol de Wenden et K. Mohsen-Finan (eds), Paris, Ifri, Travaux et recherches de l'Ifri, 2003.
