This week we will examine the theme of integration in France. While the events of the 1990s, in particular the release of Kassovitz's La Haine and the 1998 football World Cup victory, appeared to herald a new dawn, with new opportunities for immigrants, the reality of the lived experiences for immigrants in France in the early 21st century is very different. For those immigrants obliged to seek affordable social housing in the Parisian banlieues of Clichy-sous-Bois and Viliers-le-Bel, a perceived lack of opportunities coincided with alleged police brutality in 2005 and 2007, sparking days of violence in the suburbs. In this week's lecture, we'll look at the origins of integration and ask how and why the banlieues were created, before examining the case studies of the 2005 and 2007 riots in more detail. In the seminars, we'll begin to investigate some of the more nuanced causes of the riots and examine the image of integration conveyed in Olivier Nackache and Eric Toledano's Les Intouchables (2013).

Key questions