Mobile French citizens and 'la mère-patrie' : emigration and diaspora policies in France

Abstract

Emigration and mobility from France has been on the rise in twenty-first century. About 42% of the French abroad have two passports. Hence, the development of any policy towards such a diverse and hard-to-define group is tricky. France is one of a small number of developed countries that has actually taken up this challenge. Generally speaking, for French politicians, emigration is an element of a bigger puzzle of social cohesion, in a nation that cherishes an image of itself as a unified community of citizens, regardless of where they live. Substantively, it shows a concern about keeping in touch with those who have left. In this chapter we consider the policies that have shaped the French model response, both to diasporas and mobile citizens abroad.