When most Americans think of France, images that come to mind are of fine wine and cheese, and the Eiffel Tower -- not violent ethnic discord. But the past few weeks have turned many perceptions about France upside down, as stories of rioting and civil unrest throughout Paris, and now all of France, dominate the news.
The violence, while it may seem a world away, can teach us a lesson, both as Arizonans and Americans.
France, the epicenter of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution with its ethic of "liberty, equality and fraternity," prides itself on its commitment to being a sort of cultural vanguard for Western civilization. And France has reflected this in its attempts to integrate its ethnic and religious minorities.
In attempts by the government to integrate ethnic minorities, the French have put nationality above ethnicity, class and other factors. And by attempting to make French nationality the superlative equalizer, the French authorities have naively set themselves up for the present situation.
In recent years, the French social situation has seen increasing ethnic tension. Many Americans saw the recent passage of a law prohibiting students from wearing of religious symbols in schools as an act of anti-Islamic bias. It actually highlighted the conflict between post-Industrial secularism versus Third World religiosity.
In fact, the recent rioting is not simply a religious issue, but rather, a broader cultural issue of misunderstanding ethnicities generally seen as inferior by many French people.
From the other end of the cultural spectrum, the better-than-expected electoral performance of extreme anti-immigrant presidential candidate Jean Marie Le Pen a few years ago highlighted the animosity felt by the French Right toward immigrants, as well.
The immigrant populations in France are predominantly Muslim and predominantly from former French colonies in West and North Africa. They also have legitimate complaints about more typical forms of injustice: wide economic disparity between French persons of European and non-European descent and the lack of enforcement of laws prohibiting ethnic discrimination
This, coupled with French nationalism in the form of xenophobia from the right and rabid secularism from the left, has created a perfect storm of ethnic tension. Attempts by the French government to fit these individuals into a cookie-cutter integration program, stressing uniformity and ignoring the value of cultural diversity, are the icing on the cake.
While France is facing the consequences of its policies toward ethnic minorities, the United States should appreciate the wisdom it has used in its own policies.
While France does have a unique situation (it colonially occupied the homelands of most of its immigrants), its misguided attempt at integration through conformity is now bearing disastrous fruits. The United States in the post-World War II era, while obviously imperfect, has been wise in its acceptance of religious and cultural diversity as a source of strength.
In order to avoid a situation like the one in France, the United States should continue to accept the cultural diversity brought to this country by immigrants as a source of strength. Many new immigrants are of a familiar religion (Roman Catholicism) and are not intrinsically foreign or exotic in their Hispanic culture.
Therefore, rather than overreact to their presence. as some leaders like Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona and potential presidential candidate Tom Tancredo of Colorado would have us do, Arizonans and Americans ought to recognize that a little tolerance can go a long way.
Joaquin Rios is a political science sophomore. He can be contacted at joaquin.rios@asu.edu.
