French minorities

Abstract: The relationship between France and its minorities is complex, and often controversial. Traditionally, France has been against minority rights. French authorities have consistently eschewed the use of the term " minorities " and any form of targeted ethnic, religious, or linguistic measures. In practice, this has rendered minorities, along with systemic forms of discrimination, invisible. This article examines the pivotal role of the Constitutional Court in interpreting the principle of equality as a rejection of minority rights. It identifies fraternity as a dormant term within the French constitutional architecture, which could be triggered to open a pathway towards minority rights recognition. Examples from other jurisdictions, in particular India, illustrate the potential. In conclusion the paper argues that France needs a new interpretative approach, and activating fraternity as a constitutional principle offers the legal means by which this could be realized.

Cite as: Jeremie Gilbert and David Keane, ‘Equality v. Fraternity: Rethinking France and its Minorities’, 14(4) International Journal of Constitutional Law, 883–905 (2017)

This article presents a series of interrogations which arise when we want to understand the relationships between diverse media. These questions are asked, on the one hand, with reference to the minorities' problematic, and on the other hand, by giving special attention to the questioning of the links between exposure to print and the use of other media. The analyses allow for the drawing of conclusions on assimilation and literacy in so-called communication societies. The analyses rest on data gained from a recent investigation in French Ontario where 3 000 questionnaires were gathered.

Résumé
Cet article présente un ensemble d'interrogations qui surgissent lorsqu'on veut comprendre les relations entre divers médias. Ces questions, en outre, il les pose, d'une part, par référence à la problématique du minoritaire et, d'autre part, en accordant une attention particulière au questionnement sur le lien entre l'exposition à l'imprimé et l'usage des autres médias. Les analyses permettent de tirer des conclusions sur l'assimilation et la littératie dans les sociétés dites de communication. Les analyses reposent sur les données d'une enquête récente en Ontario français où près de 3000 questionnaires ont été recueillis.