The study on the descendants of Tunisian immigrants in France and Tunisia was conducted as part of Component 2 of the LEMMA project, “Mobilizing the Diaspora and Integrating Migration into Local Development,” funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France. Its objective is to improve understanding of the main Tunisian communities in Europe with a view to establishing a targeted program to mobilize the skills of the diaspora in order to promote the integration of migration into local and regional development in Tunisia. This study was conducted in 2018–2019 in France and Tunisia by Agence Thaly International, commissioned and supervised by the National Observatory on Migration and Expertise France, and was published by Editions Nirvana (Tunisia) in November 2019.
The authors’ approach was to present vivid testimonies organized both into typologies and within the framework of thematic reflections on social issues (language, religion, family, discrimination, dual identity and origins, images and representations of Tunisia, forms of community and professional engagement, and ongoing projects). This is followed by a significant review of the expectations of Tunisian diaspora members in France and those settled in Tunisia, in light of the necessary realignment of institutional policies in favor of the diaspora. These expectations reflect a desire for recognition of the diaspora and inclusion within Tunisian society. The document concludes with a series of recommendations emphasizing the need to build a relationship of interaction and mobility between the DI in France and Tunisia.
This study will serve as a reference. To date, along with the French case, it constitutes the only comprehensive regional study on the descendants of immigrants. It should thus pave the way for other monographs on the new generations of Tunisians, both in other host countries (Italy, Germany, Canada) and focusing on the descendants of other Maghreb immigrants in those same countries, including Algerians and Moroccans. The study was preceded by a literature review (downloadable below) aimed at better understanding the current state of knowledge and scientific research on the descendants of immigrants.
ATI Project Team:
- Pierre-Noël Denieuil, Social Anthropologist, Emeritus Research Director at the CNRS/France and the URMIS-IRD laboratory.
- Sonia El Amdouni, Sociologist, Lecturer and Researcher at the Laboratory for Professional Training and Learning at the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, Paris.
- Houda Laroussi, Sociologist, Research Professor at the National Institute of Labor and Social Studies in Tunis.
- Radhia Mechken, Sociologist, Research Professor at the National Institute of Labor and Social Studies in Tunis.
- Makrem Mandhouj, Geographer, Research Professor at the University of Sousse.
- Nouha Doudech, Anthropologist, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis.
- Saloua Ayari, Consultant, interview transcription, backstopping.
ATI (2018), Study on Descendants of Tunisian Immigrants in France and Tunisia - Literature Review, Denieuil, PN et al., Tunis, October 2018
Study Summary
Order the book in PDF or print format on the Nirvana Publishing website in Tunisia: nirvanaedition.com/produit/les-descendants-dimmigres-tunisiens-en-france-et-en-tunisie/