Immigration in the History of the French Nation: An American Model for a French Museum?

Lecture by Jacques Toubon, President of the French National Museum of the History of Immigration.

For reservations call 202-234-7911.  Reservations will be accepted until 11:00 am.

L’Alliance Française de Washington, The Migration Policy Institute and TV5-Monde present

 

The republican concept of a ‘nation’ and the influence of its ideas made France the first land to welcome and offer freedom to many people in exile and to victims of conflict in Europe.  Thus, the history of France, like that of the U.S., has been marked by immigration and Jus Solis (citizenship determined by the person’s birthplace, vs. Jus Sanguinis, citizenship determined by that of the person’s parents). But while in America, this was engrained very early into the national identity, with the ‘melting pot’, it took France until the end of the 20th century to recognize this reality. 

In the U.S., the Ellis Island Immigration Museum has existed for twenty years in acknowledgment of the island’s historical importance. France, following the American model, decided in 2004 to create an equivalent institution, la Cité Nationale de l’Histoire de l’Immigration.  Through this historical endeavor, it might be possible that the two models of “American integration and French assimilation”, which have often been contrasted as they struggled to redefine themselves, will show that they have more similarities than differences.

Jacques Toubon

A graduate of the French National School of Administration (ENA), Jacques Toubon began his career as a member of the civil service for local administration. Then he held several positions in ministerial cabinets among which, from 1971 to 1976, the personal staff of Jacques Chirac who was successively Minister for Relations with Parliament, Minister of Agriculture, Home Secretary and Prime Minister.

A Member of Parliament for Paris at the French Assemblée Nationale from 1981 to 1993 and Mayor of the 13th district of Paris from 1983 to 2001, Jacques Toubon is now City Councilor in Paris.

From 1984 to 1988 he was the General Secretary of the Gaullist party: Rassemblement pour la République (RPR).

He was appointed Minister of Culture and Francophonie (April 1993-May 1995) and then Attorney General (May 1995-June 1997).

From 1997 to 1998, he was Special Adviser to President Jacques Chirac. He is a member of the political bureau of the European People’s Party (EPP). State Councilor, Jacques Toubon was elected President of the Eurimages Fund (Council of Europe) in November 2002. In July 2004, he was elected to the European Parliament.

More recently, Mr. Toubon has been elected President of the National Museum of the History of Immigration.

Website : www.histoire-immigration.fr

This lecture is organized in collaboration with the Migration Policy Institute (www.migrationinformation.org) and the Délégation Générale de l’Alliance Française, USA.

Free. Reservations required. Lecture followed by refreshments.