Racism & The French
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Through Baldwin's reflection on the Algerian experience in Paris, we can understand the treacherous conditions faced by Algerians due to French colonialism. Living in a state of dehumanization and oppression, the Algerians faced many issues, including police brutality, which Baldwin rationalized by saying, "this is the way people react to the loss of an empire-for the loss of an empire also implies a radical revision of the individual identity." This theme of authoritativeness is consistent across the experience of many immigrants, as we have discussed most recently in reading about the Iranians. It is also interesting to see the contrast that Baldwin draws between the Algerians' "coherent" identity and his own and how that allowed him to reflect, saying, "I respected them, and as I began to discern what their history had made of them, I began to suspect, somewhat painfully, what my history had made of me." While Algerians faced significant disconnection being away from their homes, they still retained a sense of home despite their dislocation, which put them a step above African Americans, whose forced disconnection made it challenging to envision a sense of home. This reflection not only shows the importance of having a sense of hope but also signifies the long-term effects of forced displacement among African Americans.
Baldwin goes on to talk about the perceptions that the French had of him as he was considered civilized, which made him question why, if America could produce "gloriously civilized creature(s) as myself," why was the French not able to do the same for the Algerians however he faced the realization that Algerians did not want to be civilized, holding on to the culture that allowed them to maintain a sense of home.
Moving over to Martin's work, there is another parallel to be drawn between our exploration of Iranians in North America and the Moroccan French citizens, with the same concept of a "forever foreigner" being prominent. As mentioned when talking about the Iranians, they faced constant exclusion regardless of their legal or social status. For people within this category, citizenship was nothing more than a piece of paper that allowed them to stay where they were, disjointed from where they belonged. This theme of disconnectedness is seen repeatedly throughout the experiences of Middle Easterns and Americans in the UK and now Africans in Europe. It is interesting to explore how each disconnectedness is different and how that affects how people cope. For some immigrants, such as those depicted in Bend It Like Beckham, it becomes a desire to assimilate properly. For others, the themes of resistance are much more prevalent. A critical connecting theme that is relatively consistent across most of the groups we have discussed is this longing for home, whether that be the Syrians who intended to return home following their pedalling in America or the lascars hoping to bring back profit from the UK. Whether they return home is a different story, but this intention of not being away from home for long is an important one that keeps them connected to their culture and allows these cultures to form pockets within Western society.
Finally, briefly touching on Mandin, he explores some more relevant issues, bringing the discussion to Montreal and the migration of Moroccan Europeans seeking to escape from Europe's racist holds. When one of the interviewees was asked about differences in their experiences of France versus Canada, they said, "It is certain that racism is practically non-existent here. It is really non-existent. I would say, first, that I have never been arrested here. Never! It's been 7 years that I am in Montreal, 7 years that I'm in Canada, nobody ever arrested me. In Marseille, when I was coming out of my training session, with my bag on me, I was arrested. I assure you it is not a cliche, eh!" This truly exemplifies the amount of oppression that they faced while in these European colonialist countries, as well as their simple desire for dignity.