Abstract
This chapter examines recent literary representations of the French banlieues that challenge traditional notions of Frenchness and national identity. Through an analysis of Thomté Ryam’s Banlieue noire (2006) and En attendant que le bus explose (2009), the use of fictional testimony and the rise of polyphonic narrative structures are examined respectively. Furthermore, this chapter demonstrates that the authors are increasingly moving beyond semi-autobiographical, first-person narratives to produce subversive novels that draw on a wide-range of the literary techniques in order to highlight the multi-ethnic nature of the French Republic. The characters that populate these novels increasingly seek to reconcile different components of their hybrid identities with everyday life in France as they attempt to engage with the broader community and the nation as full citizens.
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Notes
- 1.
See La république mise à nu par son immigration by Nacira Guénif-Souilamas, Les ghettos de la nation by Jérémy Robine, and La fracture coloniale: la société française au prisme de l’héritage by Pascal Blanchard, Nicholas Bancel and Sandrine Lemaire, amongst others, for insights into the rampant stigmatization of the French banlieues. Furthermore, the rise of “neo-republican” or “neo-reactionary” discourse as examined by Jim Wolfreys in Republic of Islamophobia, highlights the way in which French republicanism has increasingly been co-opted by right-wing politicians as well as figures such as Alain Finkielkraut, Élisabeth Badinter and Eric Zemmour.
- 2.
Admittedly, the argument could be made that Banlieue noire is not narrated by a single character, since three other characters briefly take on the narrator’s role. Yet, these brief episodes are essential to plot development and do not diminish the central role of Sébastien who quickly returns to narrate the remainder of the novel following these brief interludes.
- 3.
See the manifesto produced that serves as a preface to Chroniques d’une société annoncée as well as Laura Reeck’s article “Mohamed Razane: The Re-Generation of Beur Literature.”
- 4.
Numerous examples of this phenomenon exist. Faïza Guène remains one of the most visible examples due to the media attention that she received upon the publication of Kiffe kiffe demain. See, for instance, Jacques Braunstein’s article “Faiza Guène: ne l’appelez plus la ‘Sagan des banlieues.”
- 5.
For instance, Abd al Malik’s La guerre des banlieues n’aura pas lieu was awarded the Prix Edgar-Faure, though this prize is associated with political writing. Broadly speaking, banlieue narratives have garnered little recognition from literary prizes and institutions.
- 6.
Such prefaces can also serve a commercial purpose and their potential effect on the reception of these works must be kept in mind as well.
- 7.
Consider the authors such as Patrick Chamoiseau, Calixthe Beyala, Assia Djebar, Ben Okri, Salman Rushdie and Vikram Chandra, among others.
- 8.
There are connections between En attendant que le bus explose and En attendant Godot, as both explore the absurdity of the human condition in great detail.
- 9.
The content of many of these dialogues focus on deconstructing Eurocentric or dominant narratives.
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Blanchard, R. (2020). Redefining Frenchness: Thomté Ryam’s Banlieue Noire and En attendant que le bus explose. In: Mielusel, R., Pruteanu, S. (eds) Citizenship and Belonging in France and North America. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30158-3_6
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