FP/SO 340 - Immigration and Cultural Pluralism in the City of Paris

The Paris region has the highest concentration of migrant populations in France. In the 19th century and throughout the industrial revolution, these people came from all corners of the country. In the 20th century, they came largely from Eastern and Southern Europe, then later from former French colonies, principally located within the African continent. Today, migrant populations are often fleeing wars or climate disasters.

We will study the history of these different types of migration, then analyze from a sociological perspective how immigration, at different periods, has been constructed as a “problem” in the political and media arenas — which will also lead us to address the history of French nationalism and its transformations.

We will delve into the geography of Paris, which has been shaped in part by these waves of migration, making it one of the most multicultural cities in the world today.