Africans in France: French Immigration Policy and West Africa

Abstract

France’s policy towards African immigration is linked to its relations with continental Africa. It has changed dramatically over the last century, from periods of relatively unrestricted entrance to increasingly stringent measures designed to stem the flow of Africans into France. These changes have induced differing strategies of accommodation on the part of the immigrants, strategies which reflect the ingenuity of the migrants and the evolving status of French perceptions of Africa. The contribution of the migrant to France is undeniable; so too is the periodic refuge in xenophobia on the part of some sectors of French society. The resultant interplay between France’s domestic and foreign policy has not only shaped, and continues to shape, the contours of French policy towards African countries, but it has had a crucial impact on the character of the economies and societies of Africa itself.