Naturalization, ethnicity and national identity in France between the wars

This article considers French conceptions of the their own and other national identities via the prism of naturalization - the concession of citizenship. Analysis shows that the insecurity of French national identity between the wars coloured the whole naturalization process. While a fear of population decline and military weakness forced officials towards the incorporation of immigrants, concerns over the contamination of the French nation by 'undesirables' led many others to advocate exclusion