Second generation of Algerian immigrants in the city of Marseille, France: A qualitative analysis of the process of integration
Antonio V Menendez Alarcon
Butler University, USA
: Int J Ment Health Psychiatry
Abstract
This paper analyzes the life course of second generation of immigrants living in Marseille. The sociological research is based on document analysis and 60 in-depth interviews that focus on issues of integration, including sense of cultural identity, relationships with other ethnic groups, and professional and educational attainment. This narrative of their journey reveals mixed interpretations of the respondents' relationship to the principles and values that shape the French dominant cultural ideology such as secularism, thus revealing a critical perception of its foundations and effects on their experiences, and attachment to the host society. At the same time, the results highlight the different individual experiences according to their place of living within the city. Finally, the paper identifies the mutations experienced by this group of immigrants and their preferences for an environment that allows for a hybrid identity.
Biography
Antonio V Menéndez Alarcón is a comparative Sociologist whose research and scholarship have examined issues of ethnicity, cultural identity, immigration, media and power, and the process of European integration using multiple research methods. He has published seven books on these issues, and many articles in English, French, and Spanish in professional journals. Several of his publications have been highly appraised, including the recognition of outstanding academic book award by Choice magazine. His current research interest lies on analyzing broader social processes such as globalization and transnationalism, particularly as these issues relate to immigrants' integration in Europe and the United States. amenende@butler.edu
