International Migration, Ethnopolitics, and the French Nation-State: Explaining Natives' Views of Immigrant Assimilation

Objective. The social science literature portrays France as the model of an assimilationist nation-state, yet contemporary France is torn by discord over the assimilation of contemporary immigrants. This article seeks to explain variation in natives' views of immigrants' progress toward assimilation. Methods. Based on a 1990 survey of French mayors, OLS regression is used to evaluate four explanations for the belief that immigrants are not assimilating: ethnopolitics, general prejudice, demographic impact, and economic competition. Results. The electoral strength of the anti-immigrant National Front Party in a department has the greatest influence on mayors' beliefs about immigrants' assimilation in their town. Conclusions. The assimilationist ideal of the French nation-state rests as much on natives' perceptions of political context as on the cultural, demographic, and economic consequences of international migration.