Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Organizational Studies

Second Department

French Studies

Reader 1

Barbara Junisbai

Reader 2

France Lemoine

Abstract

Since Georges-Eugène Haussmann's nineteenth-century renovation of Paris, French urban policy toward the banlieues has prioritized infrastructure over human capital investment, perpetuating spatial segregation that undermines national cohesion. The banlieues – peripheral zones surrounding major French cities – suffer from severely limited employment and educational and community opportunities, creating a stark core-periphery divide between underserved neighborhoods and urban centers like Paris. The French model of universalism obscures the racialized dimensions of this spatial inequality by offering plausible deniability regarding demographic patterns. The failure to address segregation represents a missed opportunity for more effective and equitable resource allocation. The problem is not inadequate funding but rather misdirected investment: France continues to channel resources toward physical infrastructure rather than community-centered programs that would genuinely combat spatial segregation.

This thesis examines the historical background of Parisian banlieues and analyzes reform efforts through the theoretical frameworks of Frantz Fanon, Michel Foucault, Henri Lefebvre, and James C. Scott to demonstrate why infrastructure-focused approaches have consistently failed to integrate these marginalized spaces. I draw on case studies, news coverage, political theory, and existing scholarship to highlight my main argument: reorienting policy toward people and opportunities rather than the built environment will best serve banlieue residents and the broader French society. By centering community investment over physical renewal, France could fulfill its universalist ideals while addressing the spatial inequalities that currently limit the entire country’s potential.

In order to get the most accurate and descriptive insight, the vast majority of research and readings for this project were sourced from French theorists, journalists, and authors.

Download

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

Share

COinS