Metropolitics

The French Exception on the European Migration Scene

Speranta Dumitru & Ettore Recchi — 2024-06-04T05:00:00Z

The notion of mass migration to France is regularly mobilized in the country's European election campaigns. Using international data, Speranta Dumitru and Ettore Recchi show that, in fact, France is less attractive to migrants than neighboring countries, and highlight the exceptionally broad scope of France's expulsion policy compared with those of other EU nations.
A century and a half ago, Victor Hugo, a staunch advocate of a “United States of Europe,” saw borders as a synonym for

- Debates / Europe, migration, migrants

The Everyday Realities of Marriage Migration

Laura Odasso & translated by Oliver Waine — 2022-03-18T06:00:00Z

If unions between nationals from Global North countries and foreigners are frequent, their marriages are often met with suspicion by state administrations. This article analyzes the rationales for this interference in people's private lives and its effects on marital life.
When explaining her encounter with the immigration authorities, Anita says she should never have told the Belgian police the truth. For this Flemish woman in her thirties, everything changed when she told the police officer

- From the Field / migration, justice, Europe, migrants, law, Italy, Belgium

Refugee Encampment on Europe's Borders

Marie Bassi & translated by Oliver Waine — 2022-02-04T06:00:00Z

Much media attention on the issue of migration is focused on attempts to cross the Mediterranean Sea and the often dramatic consequences that result. This article sheds light on the trajectories of exiled individuals living in “reception centers” in the south of Italy, which have become an economic sector in their own right.
In Italy, the migration issue has undergone a rapid politicization process since the transformation of the central Mediterranean into one of the main routes to reach the

- From the Field / Italy, migrants, Europe, migration, borders, law, reception

The Asylum Story: Narrative Capital and International Protection

Emily Reid — 2021-02-02T06:00:00Z

Obtaining international protection relies upon an ability to successfully navigate the host country's asylum regime. In France, the récit de vie, or asylum story, is critical to this process. An asylum seeker must craft their story with the cultural expectations of the assessor in mind. The shaping of the asylum story can be seen as an act of political protest.
Names and identifying details have been altered to protect the privacy of individuals' stories.
The role of the asylum story within

- From the Field / asylum, migrants, migration, borders, France, immigration, immigration control, Europe

Europe and the Question of Social Class

Gilles Laferté & translated by Oliver Waine — 2020-05-29T05:00:00Z

A recent French work addresses the issue of social class in Europe, considering the different profiles and distribution of working, middle and upper classes across the continent. Gilles Laferté contends that, by posing the question of whether a unified European social space exists, this study stimulates debate on the most relevant geographical scales—local, national, transnational—for analyzing social structure.
Étienne Penissat, Cédric Hugrée and Alexis Spire's book, Les Classes sociales en

- Reviews / social class, working classes, middle classes, upper classes, Europe

The misunderstandings of European democracy

Philippe Aldrin & translated by Oliver Waine — 2014-05-28T04:50:00Z

Though an economic giant, the European Union still appears to be something of a political dwarf. Yet a political Europe does exist, but the unusual forms that this transnational power takes seem to prevent a clear understanding of its true nature. Under the guise of technocratic governance free from political wrangling, three non-representative institutions impose their agenda upon the people and national governments of Europe. This is the conclusion drawn by political scientist Antoine Vauchez,

- Reviews / Europe, governance, democracy, elections, abstention, citizens

Migration and globalization: a tragic tale

Olivier Thomas & translated by Oliver Waine — 2013-10-30T05:55:00Z

At a time when flows of capital, goods and information are increasing, more and more material, ideological and institutional obstacles are limiting the movements of international migrants. Two works published in 2012 propose a critical analysis of this state control of inward migrants.
The works of Marc Bernardot and the Migreurop network provide two complementary views that enable us to grasp the political, economic and social stakes of Western nations' migration policies, and more

- Reviews / Europe, camps, immigration, globalization, migration, borders, detention centres

Pedestrians, cars and the city

Cédric Feriel & translated by Oliver Waine — 2013-05-29T10:01:37Z

Pedestrianisation and the ability to get around the city on foot are key considerations in contemporary projects for public spaces – and yet the very first pedestrian zones date back to the 1960s, not just in Europe but also in the United States. Cédric Feriel re-examines this important legacy in the light of current thinking on the subject.
Since the early 2000s, pedestrians have regained their place at the heart of debates on urban development in Europe and the United States (Urbanisme

- From the Field / Europe, public space, United States, cars, downtown, city centre, pedestrian

Social housing in Europe: the end of an era?

Noémie Houard & translated by Oliver Waine — 2012-09-26T04:55:00Z

Although there is no single European model for social housing, there are nevertheless a number of common trends and features in most countries in Europe: delegation to local government, a new focus on fragile populations, reductions in the proportion of social housing. In France, the welfare state is tending to break with its “universalist” vocation in order to target action on increasingly vulnerable populations.
Most works and studies concerning social housing in Europe stress the diversity

- Debates / Europe, decentralization, social diversity, social housing, welfare state, right to housing