Representations and Defence Processes in Cross-Cultural Conflicts: France and the Case of Its National Identity
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In 2009, the French Ministry of Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Development Solidarity launched a national debate with the support of President Nicolas Sarkozy. This debate was supposed to redefine what French people would call their ‘national identity’, but its conflicting intentions quickly turned into a big vent session about foreigners, particularly muslim migrants and French youth of north-African ancestry, although these people also participate in the evolution of the country. First, the aim of this chapter will be to show that this debate is part of a true French exception which tends to remain unchanged, even in a globalizing world; second, the debate led by French minister Eric Besson is a clear utterance of defence processes in the case of perception of threatening acts or behaviours. In this case, these acts and behaviours are seen as cultural aggressions which might harm the feel of identity, even if the notion of ‘national identity’ remains a social and artificial construct. Still, the notion of ‘national identity’ stays closely linked to emotional reactions and political manipulations, which may cause some foreigners to feel excluded from the modern French society. This problem is deeply rooted in French history, but it also says a lot about the fear of identity dissolution in general, not only on a national level, but also in individual cases. We will thus analyze the texts produced by the government to ignite and frame this debate between September and December 2009; we will then analyze the processes which might explain why a population may need to define its identity while it remains utterly pointless.