Housing policy and mobilization in the French suburbs

Michalis Moutselos

- completed -

Violent and non-violent protests by persons of immigrant origin in Europe have evolved in recent years in ways that reflect the increasing diversity of the population and the experiences of second and third generations. The outskirts of big cities, in particular, have witnessed the birth of vibrant social movements that understand themselves as ‘urban’, as well as violent anti-state rioting, exemplified by the 2005 wave of protests in France. This individual project is a comparative study of French municipalities and their policies of social housing and urban renovation in neighborhoods with a high concentration of populations of immigrant origin. Using both quantitative and ethnographic methods and data from interviews, archival research and newspaper coding, the project looks at how these policies have been, over a long period, associated with violent and non-violent protests. The analytical framework combines insights from social movement theory (grievances, networks, mobilization frames, protest repertoires), urban sociology, and political geography.