Global Studies - Diversity & Integration - Paris: A Multicultural Perspective

Paris, France

Evelyne Accad, Professor Emerita
Dinah Armstead, Teaching Assistant

12/18/06

Ethnic Neighborhood Report

Self-guided discovery / Ethnic neighborhood report
(oral and written) (10%)

In groups of three or four students maximum, choose one cluster of addresses below and pick three addresses to visit within the cluster. The places you visit may be large or small, the employees and / or volunteers may or may not speak English, but this is part of the discovery activity—to gather information in an environment with which you are totally unfamiliar. If you do not have a Paris street guide, there is a map of the immediate area at each metro stop which will allow you to find the streets indicated. At each location, look for written materials to take along with you and do not be afraid to ask questions or to explain to those on-site what the goal of your course is. You will write up your findings in TWO pages and your group will also present your discoveries (and adventures) to the class on January 6th at 4 p.m.




Cluster 1: The Maghreb (North Africa)



Centre Culturel Algérien (Algerian Cultural Center)


171 rue de la Croix-Nivert, metro : Felix-Faure, Mon. – Sat. 9-17h30 or evenings with special exhibits



Nina Bazar


35 boulevard de Belleville, metro : Belleville, Tues – Sat. 9h30 to 19h30 (Arab market)



Deux mille et une nuits


13 rue des Francs-Bourgeois, metro : Saint-Paul, everyday from 11-19h30 (upscale Arab clothing/ goods—Moroccan influence)



Cluster 2 : The Mashrek: representative countries: Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria (if you choose this cluster, do not make all three visits to Egyptian sites alone)



Egypt :


Centre Culturel d’Egypte (Egyptian Cultural Center)
111 boulevard Saint-Michel, metro : Luxembourg, Mon. – Fri. 10-19h



Quartier de la Foire au Caire


Place, passage, et rue du Caire, rue d’Aboukir, rue de Domiette, metro: Réamur-Sebastopol, weekdays and Saturday from 11-2 p.m.
(entire Eygptian-influenced neighborhood from 1798—although the neighborhood is no longer Egyptian, it will not take you long to discover its Egyptian roots—in particular, look at the facade at 2, place du Caire and enter the passageway)



Maison d’Egypte (Egypt House)
132 ave du Maine, metro: Gaité, Mon. – Sat. 10-2 and 3-7



Lebanon :


Eglise Maronite Notre-Dame du Liban
15-17 rue d’Ulm, metro : Luxembourg



Syria :


Centre Culturel arabe syrien (Arab-Syrian Cultural Center)
12 rue de Tourville, metro : Ecole Militaire, Mon. – Thurs. 10-6, Friday, 10-3



Cluster 3: Kurdistan, Turkey, and Armenia :


Kurdistan :
Institut Kurde (Kurdish Institute)
106 rue LaFayette, back courtyard, metro : Poissonière, Mon-Fri. 9h30-6:30 and Sat. 2-6.



Centre culturel kurde Ahmet Kaya
16 rue d’Enghien, metro : Strasbourg-Sain-Denis, everyday 10-19h



Turkey:
Eglise du Saint-Esprit
186 avenue Daumesnil, metro: Daumesnil (replica of the Aya Sofia mosque in Istanbul)



Ottomania
14 rue Charles V, metro: Saint-Paul, Tues-Fri. 11-19h, Saturday 14h-19h (Turkish bazaar)



Armenia:
Maison de la culture arménienne (House of Armenian Culture)
17 rue Bleue, metro : Cadet (various activities and hours)



Cluster 4: Iran:



Centre Culturel Pouya
48 bis quai de Jemmapes, metro: République, everyday from 10-22h (independent, secular center for Persian arts)



Centre culturel iranien (Iranian cultural center)
6 rue Jean-Béart, metro : Saint-Sulpice, Mon.-Sat. 15h-19h



Artisanat d’Iran (Iranian artistic goods)
28 rue Gay-Lussac, metro : Luxembourg, Mon-Sat. 10h-19h30.



Cluster 5: Sub-Saharan Africa :



Notre Dame des Buttes-Chaumont
80 rue de Meaux, metro : Bolivar, every day with special Kimbangu services on Sundays from 15h-17h (Kimbangu is an African Christian group originating from Congo-Kinshasa and Angola)



As-Art


3 Passage du Grand-cerf, Metro: Etienne Marcel, Tues. – Sat. 11h30-19h30 (African furniture and housewares)



CSAO


3 (boutique) and 15 (art gallery) rue Elzévir, metro :Saint-Paul, Mon.-Sat. 11-19h and Sunday 14-19 (boutique only)



Espace Reine de Saba (Cultural Center of Yemen and Ethiopia)


30 rue Pradier, metro: Buttes-Chaumont or Pyrénées, Tues. thru Sunday 14h-19h, opens at 11 on Saturdays



Maison d’Ethiopie (Ethiopia House)
19 rue Copreaux, Metro: Volontaires, Tues. to Sun. From 11 to 19h



Cluster 6 : Tibet :



Bureau du Tibet et Maison du Tibet (Official office of Tibetan government in exile and Culture center)


84 boulevard Adolphe Pinard, metro : Malakoff-Plateau de Vanves



La Maison de l’Indochine (Cultural Center for Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia)


76 rue Bonaparte, Metro : Saint-Sulpice, Mon. to Sat. from 10-19h



Galerie de la Maison du Viêt-nam (Vietnamese art market)
28 rue des Bernardins, metro : Maubert-Mutualité, Mon. to Sat. 11-19h



Cluster 7 : India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan :



Sri Manika Vinayakar Alayam (Very friendly Hindu temple—you must leave shoes at the door)


72 rue du Philippe-de-Girard, metro : Max Dormoy, everyday from 9h30-20h30



Centre Mandapa (Indian cultural center)


6 rue Wurtz, metro : Glacière, Mon. to Sat. 11-19h



New Shamina Super Market (Indian bazaar)


184 rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, metro : La Chapelle, Mon-Sat. 10h-20h.



VT Cash and Carry (Indian supermarket)


15 rue Cail, metro: La Chapelle, 9-9 p.m everyday but Monday



Ganesha Corner (Indian and Sri Lankan bakery, snackshop, and restaurant)
16 rue Perdonnet, Metro: La Chapelle



Note : The Pakistani neighborhoods can be found in the Rue de Jarry (metro: Gare de l’Est) and the Passage Brady (metro : Strasbourg Saint-Denis). You may also choose one or both of these sites for this cluster.


ASSIGNMENTS and JOURNAL TOPICS

ASSIGNMENTS: Note—In addition to the journal topics below, you must also add three author interviews and a self-discovery activity (please see syllabus description).

Final exam is on a separate sheet and is open book, open notes.



Journal topics. Answers should be thoughtful and avoid excess summarization of the readings (number of handwritten pages indicated are a minimum). You should provide specific examples from the activities and readings covered. If turned in after the end of the course, typed copies should be submitted as you will need to send those electronically.



Saturday, 12-30 and Tuesday, 1-2. In TWO pages, give your general impressions of the African and Arab immigrant neighborhoods of Paris. Does Beyala give an accurate description of Belleville and Paris in her novel? Explain. How do these neighborhoods compare with immigrant communities you have seen in the United States? Are there problems evident here? Any positive observations? During this visit, did you at anytime feel you stood out as a “foreigner”. Explain.



Sunday, 12-31. ONE page. Choose one exhibit at the Musée Dapper and explain your impressions of the art form. Are you surprised by the representation? Even if you are inexperienced at art appreciation, study closely the object and describe the message it conveys through its shapes, lines, colors, forms, materials, etc.



Tuesday, 1-2. In TWO pages, consider these questions during the lecture of anthropologist, Paul Vieille:


a) The notion of community has precise meanings but it is often used in a generic way that reveals nonetheless ideological undertones (i.e. communitarianism). Explain.


b) How is the French term “communauté” defined? An the English term “community”?
And communitarianism?


c) The Western state and communities: What is the relationship between secularism and community? How is the Lebanese state defined?


d) In terms of class struggle, what is the role of community?


e) At what point do notions of identity and community resurface in French society? Explain.


f) Is the suburban population divided into communities? What societal relationships are characteristic of this population?



Wednesday, 1-3: In TWO pages, comment on the following: From what you learned by visiting the Mosque, what would you say is the biggest obstacle hindering the total acceptance of the Muslim community into traditional French society? What needs to be done to overcome such an obstacle and do you foresee a solution in the near future? What do the two communities have in common? In your opinion, should France recognize polygamous marriages in the Muslim community and should co-wives and children be eligible for the same government benefits as monogamous couples? Explain.
AND


In TWO pages, comment on the following: Look at the outside of the Institut du Monde Arabe and give your interpretation of the architectural style and message of its design. (Be sure to look at the windows closely from the inside looking out as well). Once you have entered, choose one exhibit in the institute and give your impressions of the object, similar to what you had done at the Musée Dapper.
AND


In TWO pages, elaborate on the words of Madeleine Aba, her relationship as a Parisian with her Algerian writer / husband, Noureddine Aba since the 1940s, and their sense of activism as a couple.



Thursday, 1-4 and Sunday, 1-7. In ONE page, discuss how the prevalence of African and Middle Eastern dance in Paris adds to the cultural landscape of the city. What did you personally learn from these two sessions?



Friday, 1-5: The MacVal was opened a year ago, the first modern art museum in the suburbs and the first of its kind to celebrate ALL artists with some connection to France (through birth, immigration, expatriate status, etc.) In TWO pages, explain the importance of a museum like the MacVal in the suburbs, and find one exhibit that particularly relates to the theme of this course and explain that piece of art.
AND


Author interview with Etel Ednan.



Saturday, 1-6: In TWO pages, describe the findings of your self-discovery activity. (You will also present this to the class today).


AND

Author interview with Evelyne Accad.



Sunday, 1-7: In ONE page, tell what draws this diverse group of worshippers to this church and describe your own observations of the interactions of the congregation.



Monday, 1-8: In TWO pages, compare what you hear in the media and in the city about the perceptions of the youth of the ‘banlieue’ and what actually goes on in the housing developments as explained by the activists running the Women’s Association of Franc-Moisin.



Tuesday, 1-9: In THREE pages, and after having used the same set of questions for all three schools, compare and contrast the student reactions to your questions. Do you believe that the immigrant students you have witnessed at the schools have integrated well into French life? Does it seem that some immigrants have integrated better than others? What accounts for such differences, in your opinion? Compare the students’ perspectives of the immigrant experience and multiculturalism at Lycée Paul Valéry, ETSL, and Lycée Louis-le-Grand. Do you believe social class influences the opinions of students? Choose at least one interesting comment from each group of students and discuss your personal reaction to each.



Friday, 1-12: Author interview with Thérèse Kuoh-Moukoury.



Saturday, 1-13: In TWO pages, explain if you notice any differences between the Asian neighborhood and the Arab and African neighborhoods. In France and in other Western cultures, it has been said that Asians are the “privileged minority”. While Westerns see this as a “compliment”, Asians are often insulted by this appellation. Explain.



Sunday, 1-14: In ONE page, give your general impressions of the course experience. What was your favorite part of the course? What was surprising to you? Did you have any opinions before the trip that have changed with this experience? Did you find Francophone literature to be vastly differ from Western European or American literature or how is it the same?

FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS

FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS (To be completed as essays – two paragraphs minimum).


(open book, open notes)


Loukoum (Choose three of the five)



1. Describe how the article “Polygamy, Disrupted Reproduction, and the State: Muslim Migrants in Paris” relates to Loukoum’s family. Give a specific example within in your answer.



2. Describe how the article “African Women Eliminating Borders” is applicable to Soumana and M’am. Give a specific example from the novel.



3. Choose one of Abdou’s letters (Loukoum’s father) that is particularly thoughtful. Explain how the traditional role of the African male is in direct conflict with life in France.



4. Does Beyala’s description of Loukoum suggest a positive or negative outlook for France’s immigrant youth as they become adults? Explain.



5. Evaluate the intentions of the French social worker, Madame Saddock. Are such social services a help or a hindrance to the African immigrant community?



Essential Encounters (choose two of four)



1. Encouraging a relationship to develop between Joël and Doris, Flo jokes that she is merely following African tradition whereby a woman could chose a second wife for her husband. She soon finds her plan is no laughing matter. Explain why this once acceptable tradition can no longer work in contemporary African society.



2. Besides the situation mentioned in question #1, what other conflicts can tradition impose upon the modern African couple? Give examples from the novel.



3. What is the purpose of adding the character of Zimba to the novel? What does she represent?



4. Analyze the characters of either Flo or Doris in the novel. Are these portraits of strong women or weak women? Explain your answer thoroughly.



Sabra and Chatila / Montjoie Palestine!



1. Explain what happened in Sabra and Chatila.



2. What is the meaning of the expression ‘Montjoie, Palestine!’



3. How do these two prose poems relate to current world events in the Middle East? Why do you think these issues are of interest to French society?



Coquelicot du massacre / Poppy from the Massacre



1. What is the symbolism of ‘poppy’ and ‘massacre’ and how do these symbolisms feed into the overall meaning of the title?



2. How can you relate personally to some of the characters in the novel, Najmé in particular?



3. How are the events that occurred in Lebanon this past summer reminiscent of events in the novel which was written in 1988?




Sitt Marie-Rose / “To Write in a Foreign Language” / Paris When its Naked
(Choose two of the first three, then complete question 4 and 5.)



1. On page 55 of the novel, comment on two ideas expressed: “It’s violence that accelerates the progress of a people” and “Love is a supreme violence”.



2. Why is Sitt Marie-Rose such a threat to her captors? How is it that she is
perceived as an enemy? Explain.



3. In the first two paragraphs, Adnan takes a critical look at Islam and Christianity in Lebanon. However, can this be conceived as a criticism of religion solely in that country? Are there any universals in that criticism? Does the criticism lie with the practices, the texts, or with the followers?



4. Compare “To Write in a Foreign Language” with the experience of other authors or protagonists studied in the course. What implications does language choice have on an author?



5. Choose an excerpt from Paris When it’s Naked which you personally can see in the city of Paris. In addition, is there something that seems strange or inaccurate to you in Adnan’s description? Explain.

12/13/06

Schedule of Activities


The schedule of activities is as follows but is subject to change without notice in order to accommodate invited guests of the course. Times here account for travel as well. Your assignments may be handwritten if you do them while in Paris . If you wish to type your assignments, you have until January 22nd to turn all assignments in by email or by regular mail. Please note that due to the registrar’s schedule, students may receive a ‘M’ (missing grade) or ‘I’ (incomplete) which will be changed by the instructor once work is received. Keep in mind that it is imperative that you at least take notes throughout the entire course, especially after every class experience. The registrar is highly opposed to long-term incompletes.





Pre-departure: Orientation and pre-departure meetings.



Thursday, Dec. 28, Leave for Paris



Friday, Dec. 29, arrival in Paris , on-site orientations.



Saturday, Dec. 30, 10-2. Meet in lobby of FIAP at 10 a.m. Sociological study of Barbès, the Marché Déjean, the African immigrant neighborhoods of Paris , and the Parc des Buttes Chaumont. Bring maps in course packet. Finish Loukoum in packet and read articles “Polygamy, Disrupted Reproduction, and the State: Muslim Migrants in Paris ”, and “African Women Eliminating Borders”.



Sunday, Dec. 31, 3-5 pm. Visit to the Musée Dapper, art appreciation activity. 35 rue Paul Valéry. Métro: Victor Hugo or Charles de Gaulle-Etoile.



Monday, Jan. 1. FREE



Tuesday, Jan. 2: Meet at FIAP at 9:30-11 a.m. Sociological study of Belleville and the market (métro Couronnes).


AND


Cocktail party at the FIAP at 6 pm


AND


7-9 p.m. Discussion with anthropologist Paul Vieille at the FIAP. Room TBA. Lecture/Debate on Immigration and Ethnicities. Read Maillard article “The Muslims in France and the French Model of Integration”


(Discovery activity opportunity during the day)



Wednesday, Jan. 3 10:30-3 p.m. Visit of the Grande Mosquée de Paris (Place du Puits de l’Ermite, métro: Monge). Souk and tearoom after tour, followed by the Institut du Monde Arabe (métro: Jussieu) for art appreciation activity. Read: "The Muslims of France ".


AND


5-7 p.m. Discussion of C’était hier Sabra et Chatila and Montjoie, Palestine ! with Madeleine Aba at the FIAP. Room TBA.



Thursday, Jan. 4: 2-3:30 OR 3:30-5 pm. Centre de Danse du Marais for course on African dance with renowned instructor from Congo , Lucky Zebila. (41 rue du Temple , métro: Hôtel de Ville.) Athletic attire suggested. Shoes are not worn in the studio. (Please see sign-up sheets to confirm your session).


( Opportunity for Discovery activity during the day)



Friday, Jan. 5: Leave FIAP at 10 a.m. MacVal Museum , Visit to the MacVal, contemporary art museum of the suburbs. Line n°7 direction Mairie d’Ivry, get off at station, Porte de Choisy. Then bus n°183 direction Orly Terminal Sud. Stop: Moulin de Saquet-Pelletan (directly in front of museum).


AND


Visit of Etel Adnan at FIAP. Read Sitt Marie-Rose and excerpts in packet of Paris When its Naked, “To Write in a Foreign Language”, and “The Body and the City—Evelyne Accad and Etel Adnan’s Beirut ”.



Saturday, Jan. 6: 4-7 p.m. at FIAP. Presentation of self-discovery activity and THEN discussion of Evelyne Accad’s Poppy from the Massacre. Read also “ Beirut , The City that Moves Me”, and “A Lebanese Anguishes from Paris ”.



Sunday, Jan. 7: 10-11:30 or 11:30-1 p.m. AND 1:30-7 pm. Middle Eastern dance at Sun City , metro Guy Môquet. Both men and women should bring a long scarf that can be tied around the waste. Women should wear a long skirt or leggings. Shoes are not worn in the studio. Lunch at Lebanese restaurant for 1:30, metro: Victor Hugo. Proceed as a group for sociological study at a multicultural church in Saint-Denis.



Monday, Jan. 8: 10:15 am to 12:15 pm AND 2 to 7 pm. Visit to Lycée Paul Valéry and discussion with French students and their instructor, Monique Hartman (38 boulevard Soult: métro Porte Dorée). Bring magazines or newspapers in English to distribute to students and also samples of American snacks to share with French students who will be doing the same.


AND


Visit to Women’s Immigrant Association in Saint-Denis (Femmes du Franc-Moisin).



Tuesday, Jan. 9: 8-10 am OR 11 to noon AND everyone from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Lycée Louis-le-Grand. Discussion of pertinent social issues with French students and their instructor, Françoise Séquestra-Karo. Formal reception to follow. Appropriate attire required (no jeans).


AND


Visit to Technical Lycée for discussion of pertinent social issues with students and their instructors Hassen Hadjadj, Isabelle Thery, and Yves Simon. 95 rue du Dessous des Berges, metro: Bibliothèque.


Please bring magazines or newspapers in English to distribute for all students.
7 p.m. Welcome dinner at the FIAP for our group.



Wednesday, Jan. 10: FREE



Thursday, Jan. 11: FREE



Friday, Jan. 12: 5-7 pm. Meeting at FIAP with Cameroonian author Thérèse Kuoh-Moukoury. Discussion of Essential Encounters.



Saturday, Jan. 13: 10 am at FIAP. Visit of the Vietnamese neighborhood. Discuss Linda Le’s Slander. Visit to the Vietnamese / Asian neighborhood. Lunch at Pho 14. Bring maps in packet.



Sunday, Jan. 14: Departure from the FIAP at 9:30 a.m.