The US/France Contrast Frame and Black Lives Matter in France

In this article examining Black Lives Matter in France, we consider how French politicians and others in the public sphere use a U.S./France contrast frame to deny or downplay the existence of systemic racism within France. In so doing, they delegitimize as un-French or as too Americanized those French anti-racist activists who claim that racism in France is systemic and who challenge republican difference-blindness. To demonstrate this, we specifically focus on anti-racist activism against police violence and argue that, contrary to accusations by French political leaders, anti-racist activists do not directly impose U.S. Black Lives Matter discourse onto the French context. Rather, they deploy it in conversation with existing and long-standing anti-racist mobilization in France. This comparison between the United States and France also reveals the unique challenges of addressing police violence as a manifestation of racism in France, where anti-racist activists must fight to even name race and racism.

Automated summary

This article examines the Black Lives Matter movement in France and discusses how French politicians and public figures use a U.S./France comparison to deny or downplay the presence of systemic racism in France. It argues that anti-racist activists in France do not simply import the U.S. discourse, but engage in conversation with existing anti-racist mobilization in France.