Identity and Belonging: Integration of Descendants of Immigrants in Marseille

This article analyzes the experiences of second-generation Algerian immigrants living in Marseille, based on 60 in-depth interviews that focus in particular on several domains suggested by the theories of integration such as sense of belonging, cultural identification, and social interactions. The study reveals the respondents’ complex relationship to the principles and values that shape the French integration model, and a predominance of bicultural/hybrid identity among them, comprising French and Algerian cultural elements to different degrees. The descendants of immigrants integrate most of the cultural elements of the country in which they live and grew up, those of the country of origin of their parents, and for many, those of the group of immigrants to which their parents and the people in their neighborhood belong. Finally, this article highlights the existence of a segmented integration according to cultural attachment and the intensity of religious beliefs.