This study examines the term beur as well as the category it defines, both in terms of individuals who identify as beur, and the genre of literature that stems from the beur population in contemporary France. I begin by first suggesting that the notion of beur as a category and label serves as a third space in the binary of French culture and Maghrebi culture. This third space is necessary as the children of Maghrebi immigrants in France find themselves in between each culture and the sphere of influence that follows. The term is then problematized. The theme of binaries and the third spaces that emerge because of the problematic nature of the binaries is recurring throughout my study. I explore what these third spaces are by examining four contemporary French novels: Faïza Guène’s Kiffe kiffe demain and Un homme ça ne pleure pas, Ahmed Djouder’s Désintégration, and Brahim Metiba’s Ma mère et moi. The characters in each of these works struggle with their identity as they forge their own third spaces as solutions to various binaries that they discover they cannot fit into. In my study, I demonstrate this in three realms: integration and engaged citizenship; familial relationships, primarily parent-child relationships and the generational difference that further complicates pre-existing cultural difference; and gender roles. Each of the narratives and the main characters conveys the problematic nature of viewing French and Maghrebi culture in a binary. In my explication of the text, I argue that each narrative works towards the creation of a new third space in varying ways. / Master of Arts / In the 1980s, a new population in France, labeled <i>beur</i>, defined as the French born children of North African immigrants in France, emerged. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and continuing into the present time, this population has contributed to the canon of French literature. This literature is comprised of engaged sociopolitical issues that beur individuals and their immigrant family members face as French residents and citizens, as the political climate of France pushes for cultural and social integration and assimilation. In this study, I examine four contemporary French novels: Faïza Guène’s <i>Kiffe kiffe demain</i> and <i>Un homme ça ne pleure pas</i>, Ahmed Djouder’s <i>Désintégration</i>, and Brahim Metiba’s <i>Ma mère et moi</i>. These texts, which engage issues faced by <i>beur</i> communities, explore the cultural binaries that emerge from growing up in France with immigrant parents, as well as the spaces between each end of the binary. I explore issues of identity in the realms of citizenship, familial relationships, and gender roles. The characters in these novels demonstrate the problematic nature of viewing French culture and North African culture as existing in a binary, as such a binary raises questions concerning identity for individuals who identify as <i>beur</i>. This research sheds light on current social issues that are active in contemporary France and conveys the marginalized position that <i>beur</i> individuals tend to occupy. My study of these four works of literature focuses on the idea of engaged citizenship and exercising agency on the part of <i>beur</i> individuals, and the relationship between this notion and each of the works.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/77937 |
| Date | 06 June 2017 |
| Creators | Gibson, Mary Claire |
| Contributors | Foreign Languages, Cultures, and Literatures, Watson, Ronda J., Dickow, Alexander, Mishra, Sulagna |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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