Book Seminar: A Political History of Immigration in France
Venue
Hybrid - G.02, 19 George Square & OnlineDescription
We are delighted to be hosting a hybrid event in September with Dr Angéline Escafré-Dublet from the University of Lyon on her new book, A Political History of Immigration in France: From Colonial to Global, and Back. The event will take place on 2 September 2026, 12:30-13:30pm and held in person at Edinburgh University and online. The event is co-organised by Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, University of Glasgow Political and International Studies, and our own Citizenship and Migration Research Network (CMRN).
A Political History of Immigration in France is an enquiry into the making of a ‘country of immigration’ and how a demographic statistic can become such a controversial issue that occupies the top of the political agenda. The book starts from the overlooked fact that even though France became a country of immigration as early as the mid-19th century, because of its lagging population growth, it was only in the late-20th century that French people started to think of themselves as living in a country of immigration. The book is about this change in identity and the ways in which the politics of migration - a much broader and globally connected process - came to redefine France in the second half of the 20th century.