Used Book – La Discrimination négative: Citoyens ou indigènes?, Robert Castel

Negative discrimination is not the product of societies that legally establish differential treatment between individuals based on their origin, rank, or religion. On the contrary, it is the product of societies that formally forbid such differentiations but practice them massively. This is the contradiction revealed by the situation of “banlieue youths” in France today, particularly when they are “from immigrant backgrounds.” Reflecting on the autumn 2005 riots, Robert Castel analyzes the mechanisms of stigmatization and marginalization that keep these populations on the fringes of full and complete citizenship, in defiance of the Republic’s fundamental principles. If we are to call a spade a spade, what we are witnessing today is indeed the return of race to the political and social scene.

Robert Castel is a sociologist. He is the author of numerous works, including Les Métamorphoses de la question sociale (Gallimard, 1995) and L'Insécurité sociale (Seuil / La République des Idées, 2003).