In 1983--as France struggled with race-based crimes, police brutality, and public unrest--youths from Vénissieux (working-class suburbs of Lyon) led the March for Equality and Against Racism, the first national demonstration of its type in France.As Abdellali Hajjat reveals, the historic March for Equality and Against Racism symbolized for many the experience of the children of postcolonial immigrants. Inspired by the May '68 protests, these young immigrants stood against racist crimes, for equality before the law and the police, and for basic rights such as the right to work and housing. Hajjat also considers the divisions that arose from the march and offers fresh insight into the paradoxes and intricacies of movements pushing toward sweeping social change.Translated into English for the first time, The Wretched of France contemplates the protest's lasting significance in France as well as its impact within the context of larger and comparable movements for civil rights, particularly in the US.

AcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction: The Protest March as an Index of Social and Racial Tensions in France1. The Laboratory of Les Minguettes: The Micro-History of a Working-Class District2. Riots or Rebellions? 'Urban Youths' on the Borders of the Political3. The Fear of Rebellion4. The Unlikely Construction of an Anti-Racist National Consensus5. The Ambiguities of the Parisian Apotheosis6. Divided MemoriesConclusion: After the March: The Challenges of Postcolonial PoliticsAfterword: From 1983 to 2020: Reflections on an Enduring Problem of Racism and RevoltAppendicesBibliographyIndex