L'impact du droit international sur la problématique minoritaire en France

France has always refused to recognise the legal existence of minorities on its territory. It is a sociological fact that many groups of minorities live in France and the gap between this reality and French law seems to be at the source of growing tensions. This study proposes to analyses the degree which international law can contribute to the evolution of France's position with regards to its minority groups. Since the end of the cold war, there have been significant developments of the international instruments relating to the rights of minorities. This fact notwithstanding, these instruments do not appear to have a direct impact on the French situation. An approach consisting of the development of the cultural fights, with the broader system of human rights, could contribute to augmenting the respect and protection of inter-states identities without challenging the universalist tradition to which France is particularly attached