Dober Dan, Hello !
We are students of Cergy Paris University and we had the pleasure to come to Ljubljana for the Eutopia Event in March 2023.
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Why did you join ?
Our professor Mrs Argyriadis-Kervegan proposed that we take part in this experience. We joined this project because we found the concept and the subject “Work and Immigration” really interesting and it deserved to be highlighted. We wanted to have an experience in English and meet people from different countries.
Here is a little video to show what the
trip looked like from our perspective 🙂 :
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What are you working on ?
We splitted into three different groups and each one worked on a specific theme :
❖ The Moroccan immigration, by Ines Moustaghfir
It’s because my
subject had a link with what my family experienced, that I decided to get a
little closer to the Moroccan immigration that happened in France from the 20th
century until today.
I drew my research from several books and
websites, as well as the information I could find on the website of the
Immigration Museum, which kindly helped us by providing us with several pictures
from their archives. I was familiar with the history of Moroccan immigrants in
France, but I liked researching more in depth the different types of
immigration, the periods linked to it, and what it meant for both the French
and the Moroccan economy.
The phenomenon that was the Moroccan
immigration to France started in the 1950s and 1960s when many Moroccans were
invited to help with the country's post-World War II rebuilding efforts. Since
then, the number of Moroccans in France has grown, and they now form the
second-largest immigrant community in the country. These immigrants are
typically skilled workers in fields such as construction, agriculture,
healthcare, and services, who seek better economic opportunities and a higher
quality of life. Moroccan emigration has undergone significant changes over
time, affected by political, economic, social, and geographical factors. Over
time, profound internal transformations have affected the structures of
Moroccan immigration to France. The rise of family reunification and the
renewal of generations have led to a permanent and qualitatively different form
of immigration.I was pleased to be able to share this knowledge during the Peak
Event and thus enhance everyone's understanding.
Meeting with everyone made the project
very concrete and brought us to live a very enriching trip where we were bathed
in knowledge during the whole stay. We learned a lot about many different
countries. Moreover, it was mass immigration settings that we didn't
necessarily know about and that opened us up to new subjects that caught my
curiosity.
The interaction with the people present
at this event was equally enriching. Experts as well as the professors were
able to share their knowledge and discuss our topics with us. I had a very
fruitful discussion with Frederik Dhondt with whom I could discuss my topic and
learn the point of view, as well as bring the circumstances of Moroccan
immigrants in Belgium closer. The similarities between the countries were very
interesting.
Doing this project from scratch on my own
gave me more confidence in my work and my English, and I was proud to see that
a lot of people were interested in it, as they came to talk to me about it
after my presentation.
I don't think I could have had such a rewarding experience without having participated in this Eutopia project. I'm glad I did it because it's been nothing but beneficial as well as enjoyable.
❖ The Italian labour immigration and the evolution of social rights in France, by Guillaume Bonanni Laporte and Marianne Bonanni Laporte
We are working on the link between
Italian labour immigration and the evolution of social rights in France.
Throughout our research, we have found that
this immigration has had a considerable impact on social rights both at a
national and international level. The Franco-Italian agreement of 1904 enabled
this development of social rights, mainly in France and Italy, while being one
of the founding pillars of international social law. This agreement is the
result of a common will between Italy and France to protect workers with a
market logic. The latter, in the implementation of the agreement, then took
over, even if the purpose for Luzzatti, father of this agreement, was to create
a virtuous circle for social rights. Italian labor immigration in France has
linked nationals with Italian immigrants in social struggles, and over time and
through legal developments has eased the tensions between them.
This subject is extremely rich, because
in the background the question of foreign workers is revealed as much as the
worker as such.
The issue of Italian immigration to France
is a perfect illustration of what Professor Alain Supiot describes as theevolution of a “legal imaginary”.
Indeed, if we look at the results of the
research in a transversal way, it is a conception of the worker that emerges,
and by extension a vision of humanity from the “man-animal” of the pre-1904
agreement, who is treated like cattle, to the “man-gear”, part of a machine
that overtakes him, like in the film “Metropolis”.
And although our research does not focus on the aforementioned metamorphosis of this imaginary, the Italian work immigration allows us to address all of this.
For this labour immigration initiates,
and by extension illustrates, the changes in the management of immigration,
particularly of the actors in charge. At first, it was exclusively under the
authority of private individuals, then it was entirely taken over by the
national administration, and finally escaped it to the benefit of Community
law.
But also on the question of the social
rights which immigrants will, or will not, be able to enjoy, according to their
mercantile interest for France.
It was also interesting to look at the issue of Italian women and their place in labour immigration to France. Indeed, if they are still forgotten in this migratory phenomenon, they cannot be denied the fact that they also actively participated in this labour immigration since the end of the nineteenth century. This invisibilisation is mainly illustrated by the fact that they often came from illegal immigration or that they were perceived in a dynamic of family reunification without taking into account their work. The surge in social rights in France will have given them guarantees equal to those of French women and, at the same time the disappearance of contested works such as mercenary breastfeeding.
We have based our research on books,
articles, interviews and documentaries. We also did research on archives, with
the help of the Museum of Immigration which allowed us to use their archives in
our presentation.
The Peak Event meeting was fulfilling in
many ways. We had the opportunity to exchange with students from various
universities. It allowed us to learn about their history and culture, but also
about the differences in methodologies, especially thanks to the Warwick
students, as they are history students. The various presentations allowed us to
widen our knowledge. The various topics allowed us to widen our knowledge.
The meeting with the other students
taking part in the learning community was not a bonus for this experience but
the best way to learn more about each topic but also by other topics of
discussion, sometimes more intimate while establishing a true relation between
us.
This kind of project is really not usual
for us. It is a fulfilling experience which allows us to widen our spectrum of
knowledge through differences in academic background and methodology of work.
Multilingualism is a door that ensures
that we can communicate with each other, overcoming the fact that we do not all
speak the same language. It’s an opening to the world and a plus in the
academic world and in research as the sources are not always available in our native
language.
We would like to conclude by saying that we have been extremely glad to present this research to you brother and sister together, and in a way to pass on the witness of our legacy. We also want to thank the team of Ljubljana who gave us a wonderful welcome.
❖
The particular
case of Aigues-Mortes, a bloody episode of Italian Immigration in the 19th
century, by
We worked on Italian immigration and my
subject was : “The particular case of Aigues-Mortes, a bloody episode of
Italian immigration in the 19th century”. We spoke about the context
of the Italian massacre, the historical, sociological and the course of the
case.
Italian nationals were killed when they worked in
the salt works by French people. When we hover over this subject, we might
think that it is simply because of xenophobia, hence this story is much
more complex. Indeed, the history, the sociological context and the course of
the case show are very important. Say that there is no xenophobia would not be
true, and to say that it happened because of xenophobia would be too reductive
to understand it.
We were split in three groups. Therefore, we were quite autonomous in our research.
Ines worked on Moroccan immigration. The two other groups worked on Italian immigration. Although the topics are
very different, it was necessary to establish a framework in our respective
research in order to avoid each group encroaching on the other’s work. It was
also important to establish a link between our two presentations.
We have the opportunity to exchange with students from various universities. We learn a lot about their history and cultures, and more specifically about Slovenia thanks to the trip.
Through the presentations, we were able
to see other methodologies, notably with the Warwick team, as they are history
students.
The topics covered were interesting and
various. It allowed us to widen our knowledge, our perspectives, also through
the discussions which followed the presentations.
First of all, we learned from every
presentations and about the academic culture of the other universities. We also
had the honor to discover Ljubljana and to know more about Slovenia.
The interactions were very interesting.
There were always questions about the different oral. As the subjects were very
diversified, that was a time of discovery and students knew how to grasp it.
Learning in the CoLeCo is very different. Differences in
academic background, in working approaches, but also the cultural differences
are not something common. This experience gives us a broader view and is very
fulfilling.
Multilingualism is a benefit. It allows
us to communicate with people with whom we do not speak the same language.
Through this experience we also have the
opportunity to improve our oral skills in a foreign language. It was a new way
to bind with other students. It has been enriching.
Thank you for this opportunity, Thank you
to all professors and experts behind this Eutopia event, and a special thank
you to our professor, Mrs
Argyriadis-Kervegan for trusting us and allowing us to make this trip.
Ines Moustaghfir
Marianne Bonanni
Laporte
Guillaume Bonanni
Laporte
Charlotte
Lefebvre
Emma Joly
Cergy Paris University
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