The Influence of the Ideals of the French Republic on Immigration and Cultural Diversity in Contemporary France

Abstract

France was given liberté, égalité, and fraternité by the French Revolution and they have become the three main values of the country ever since. Additionally, there are four piliers de la nationalité, language, a shared memory of the Revolution, égalité and laïcité, to make these three values possible. France is one of the most culturally diverse countries in Europe with around 6 million immigrants making up about 10% of the country’s total population. The four piliers are shared traits that supposedly bring people together, but they do not factor in the complex reality of cultural diversity in contemporary France where the immigrants do not necessarily share the same values. This creates a tension. I am looking at how these different tensions are expressed in Salut Cousin, Entre les murs, and Dawa; two recent films and a contemporary novel that express a new shift in reality.