Introduction

Even before it was a project, the Trajectories and Origins (TeO) survey was a clear necessity. France, a country of immigration throughout the twentieth century, has become a multicultural society, and the diversity of origins represented in its population is unprecedented. And yet little was known about the situation of populations with an immigrant background. In public debate, they are portrayed through false representations and stereotypes. The list of anxieties and fears is long; living in segregated neighbourhoods, failing at school, and lacking national identity, the children of immigrants, it was argued, would be tempted by communautarisme. What should we think about this? Does the problem ultimately lie in the behaviours and strategies of individuals with an immigrant background, or in the way that French society responds to its growing population diversity? This book brings to the reader the main findings of an unprecedent survey on the diversity of population in France, and offers new insights on the processes of integration and discrimination