France in Diaspora

Monday, February 27, 2012

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: The Economy in France

Welcome, as always, to another African 221 blog post. Today I’m going to talk about the French economy. Many are familiar with the popular stereotype that the French are lazy, socialists who prefer red wine, baguettes and soft cheese to hard work. If you asked a Frenchman about his work ethic he would most likely suggest that in fact his fellow countryman know how to work not just hard, but also smart. Despite antiquated stereotypes, the French are in fact one of the most prosperous people on earth. The country’s 2.56 billion dollar GDP in 2011 gives France the tenth largest economy in the world.

Currently, much of the French GDP comes from services and high-tech manufacturing. According to the CIA Fact Book, 71% and 24% of the GDP came from services and manufacturing, respectively. Behind these two large sectors are agriculture and tourism, making up about 3.5% of GDP.

France is inexorably tied to its neighboring EU countries. The recent European debt crisis and general financial uncertainty in the Eurozone has weakened the French economy and highlighted the interdependence of EU countries. France exports hundreds of millions of dollars worth of goods and services throughout Europe, Asia and the United States. Without a robust flow of imports and exports France would not be the dynamic economic power that it is today. And of course without the 75 million tourists that made there way to France from across the globe in 2011, the massive tourism industry in France would vanish.

The Eiffel Tower

On the whole, France has an extremely successful economy, but just looking at the big indicator numbers, such as GDP, fails to capture some of the nuances of the French economy. For instance, there is a history of social unrest in France that has had a noticeable effect over the years on the economy. Worker strikes and protests have been fairly commonplace throughout modern France history. Additionally, the French government has historically played a large role in the economy. This role has diminished in recent decades, but the French national government is still very much involved in the day to day economics of the nation. Airbus, one of the largest international companies in France is subsidized and regulated heavily by the government. Having such a large governmental role in the economy at large effects how the economy functions in the world market.

In closing, France is a large world economic power and as a result most French citizens enjoy a fairly high standard of living. Of course there will always be a certain segment of any population that has less and could use more, but on balance life in France isn’t all that bad.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for next week’s post. There’s lots more to come on France and the Diaspora in the next few weeks.

French Car Engine Plant

Fields

Airbus A380

The last thing here is a time lapsed video of the assembly process for the Airbus A380.
Airbus employs nearly 20,000 French.

Sources:

1. CIA Fact Book- https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html

2. Airbus - http://www.airbus.com/

3. US State Department - http://www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/fr/

Friday, February 17, 2012

Government and Race Relations

The history of government in France is long and complicated. Political ideologies and political leaders have come and gone with regularity in the past 300 years. Since the French Revolution and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen in 1789 France has had five separate governments centered off of five separate Constitutions. The current constitutional democracy, the Fifth Republic, has been in place since 1958. France’s current president, Nicolas Sarkozy took office in 2007. His centrist democratic party, Union for a Popular Movement, has existed since 2002. Sarkozy will presumably seek a second 5 years term and run for reelection in 2012.

A perfectly valid question is: What does the convoluted history of the French government have to do with the African Diaspora? Answer-- French history fundamentally influences race relations in modern France. Each of the five French Republics has been firmly rooted in the ideas of individual liberties and equality before the law that date back to the French revolution. Oddly enough it is these centuries-old ideologies from the Revolution that shape French race relations in a negative way.

France has adopted a largely “color blind” approach to governmental policy and race relations. Unlike nearly all of its European neighbors and the United States, France intentionally excludes racial distinctions from its policies and programs. This stems largely from the legacy of the Revolution and the focus on equality for all. “Equality for all” has been taken to the extreme. It has come to mean that programs and intuitions throughout France do not acknowledge differences based on race.

Choosing to ignore race would not be an issue for the French if there was not a lasting stigma and dark undercurrent surrounding race and “others” in France. According to Erik Bleich, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Middlebury College, even today, when a relatively large group of minorities have established themselves as full-fledged, French citizens, some in France still see them as “immigrants” who are not truly French. There is racial tension in modern France. For those who identify as part of the African Diaspora this tension can often affect their daily lives. I think as we study the Diaspora in France it is important to look at society institutions, such as the government to see how they impact people of African decent throughout the country.

The French revolution was more then 200 years ago but its legacy still lives on today in race relations in France.

That’s all for now. Next time it’s the French economy.

President Nicolas Sarkozy

Parliament

Sources:

1. http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam033/2002031362.pdf

2. http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2001/05france_bleich.aspx

3. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3842.htm#gov

4. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/arts/17abroad.html?pagewanted=all
5. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/Mesko/207982.pdf

Friday, February 10, 2012

France and the African Diaspora?

Hi All! Welcome to the first real post on my Diaspora blog.

The French legacy in Africa is one of brutal colonialism. During the 19th and 20th centuries the French expanded their colonial control to nearly all of northwestern Africa. By the 1920’s the French empire in Africa had swelled to include present day Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Niger and Algeria. At its peak, the French empire was the second largest empire in the world, second only to the British Empire, and consisted of more than 8% of the Earth’s total land mass.

The African Diaspora in France grew out of this substantial colonial legacy. Throughout the 19th and 20th century millions of Africans migrated to central France. Thousands of Africans fought for the Allies during the First and Second World War, and hundreds of thousands more emigrated to escape the chaos of crumbling French colonial control in the 20th century. These millions of Africans brought their food, languages, art, music, and cultural history to France. French culture is now intertwined with African culture.

When people think of the African Diaspora they don’t always like of Western Europe, specifically France. But this conventional wisdom is wrong. As of 2010, an estimated 5% of the French population is of direct North African descent. That’s nearly 3.5 million people. African culture and history thrives throughout Europe and France.

I chose France as my country because there is such a rich history between France and Africa. The relationship between the two places is complex but fascinating. Over the last 200 years the colonial dynamic between France and Africa has certainly spawned violence and suffering but it has also fostered great beauty and art. France is a beautiful country and so much more then the stereotypical image of baguettes and the Eifel tower. I think but exploring France bit by bit we can uncover all that the country has to offer. I’ll explore France in great detail in the weeks to come. Next week it’s government in France. Its history, legacy, and how it works today. I know you all are excited for that. Get ready.

Below are the map and flag of France along with some pictures from France and its colonies. Enjoy!