Dimensions of integration: Second-generation African youth in France

This research examines second-generation sub-Saharan African youth living in France, considering structural dimensions (i.e., interactions with the government, social class, race and coloring) and of cultural dimensions (i.e., culture and normative behaviors, religion).  By considering more than one dimension at once, it is possible to understand how the youth of Cliché-sur-bois were crying out for help on the eve of the riots in Paris' suburbs in 2005.  For example, because of economic constraints, women seek and may find work in housekeeping, where they may clean buildings at night.  Parents work at night cleaning buildings, and their children’s education suffers as a result.  Additionally, other structural dimensions are considered to understand children's interactions with the government and formal institutions in French society as well the import of race and coloring.  Adding to this, culture dimensions such as normative behaviors and religious expectations come together to construct different life chances for second-generation immigrant African youth in France.  This chapter utilizes the interview data gathered of the life experiences of first and second generation children and youth to disentangle the dimensions that shape the varying integration pathways for African immigrant youth in France.