Departure and Employment

Abstract

During the first forty years of emigration (1910–1950) the structure of the noria, the rotation of single males, remained essentially unchanged. In this and the following two chapters I shall provide a composite picture of the experience of the ‘typical’ migrant. This chapter looks first at the social context in which the decision to migrate was taken, the underlying strategies involved, how the difficult journey to France was undertaken and the way in which destination, the particular urban and industrial locations of Algerians, was determined by the geography of employment. Chapter 5 goes on to explore housing conditions, the social life and organisation of immigrants within the enclave, and their degree of integration and acculturation into the values of French society. Chapter 6 takes a closer look at the issue of adaptation through a study of the most sensitive indicator of identity, Islamic belief and practice. The chapter closes by showing how the gradual impact of emigration on the sending village was to subtly transform the traditional socioeconomic order and cultural values, thereby inevitably undermining the structures that gave rise to temporary departure.