Michelle Welter created a podcast episode where she speaks with Parisian Banlieues residents on lived realities around urban borders and the complexities of its rich and violent spatial histories and politics in Paris. Read her introduction to the episode below.
Michelle Welter is a postgraduate scholar in the Department of Geography, at the University of Zurich.
Written and Created by: Michelle Welter
Edited by: Jasnea Sarma
What exactly are the banlieues of Paris? This is not a question which is easy to answer.
Depending on your personal experiences or depictions of this spaces which you saw trough media your imagination of this space may be very different. Since my initial encounter with Paris, I’ve been intrigued by its contrasting facets, ranging from its romanticized symbol of love to the stark realities of social inequality, colonial legacies, and poverty. During my three-month stay, these complexities became increasingly apparent and particularly my imagination of the banlieues changed over time. Residing in a relatively affluent banlieue, I witnessed the aftermath of a tragic incident involving the fatal shooting of a local youth, Nahel, which sparked unrest. This prompted extensive discussions with my Parisian friends about the banlieues and their socio-economic dynamics, challenging my initial perceptions of poverty, the lazy banlieue youth, dense housing, violence, and unrest.
“There are always friends living there because people live there. It’s not just like a forbidden area, only dedicated to drug deal and stuff like that. It’s far from that.”
Reflecting on how the media portrayed the incident, often sensationalizing its severity, I embarked on a research project to dive into the complexities of Parisian banlieues. My investigation focused on understanding the diverse perceptions of these spaces shaped by personal experiences and media representations. I explored the formation and perpetuation of inner borders between Paris and its suburbs, examining concepts like border practice and neocolonialism. Through in-depth interviews, I uncovered the intricate interplay between media narratives and societal perceptions, highlighting how stereotypes and barriers hinder social mobility.
“Like a ghetto in some place because of the preconception that people have through media. A lot of discrimination, including racism. It can be hard for people to get out in a social sense from the social status linked to the banlieue or to go out physically because, it’s probably much harder to get an apartment inside Paris if you were initially living outside. Mm-Hmm. Some people live it’s as a prison or at least not a place of complete freedom.”
In conclusion, my analysis sheds light on the construction and perpetuation of inner borders between Paris and its banlieues. It underscores the complex interplay between media, identity formation, and societal divisions. Perceptions of banlieues are multifaceted, influenced by personal experiences, media influence, and societal constructs. The concept of bordering reveals the deeply entrenched physical and social borders between Paris and its banlieues, contributing to a narrative of exclusion and othering. Neocolonial practices further amplify these divisions, perpetuating stereotypes and hindering upward mobility for banlieue inhabitants.
“It contributed to the fact that the people that are born here and live there, not really by choice, it increases their feeling of being an outsider of the society. Even through media they feel like their place is a place that people shouldn’t go. It contributes to the ghetto image of the place and so it doesn’t encourage them to integrate in a general way and to go out of the limits of their neighbourhood.”
In essence, my study emphasizes the importance of critically examining media images to challenge stereotypes and prejudices. Understanding the interplay of border practices and neocolonial tendencies is crucial for promoting inclusivity and addressing societal divisions. Recognizing banlieues as diverse spaces with rich histories and varied populations is essential for addressing root causes of social inequalities.
“It’s funny because we talk about intra- and extramuros, which is Latin for wall, like inside the wall and outside the wall, but there is no wall anymore. It’s already telling a lot that we use this kind of word to separate the people living outside from the people living inside.”
The insights from my research served as the foundation for a podcast, where I engaged in conversations with individuals offering unique perspectives on the banlieues of Paris shaped by personal experiences and media exposure. I’m not aiming to find define the banlieues on the contrary I’m trying to widen one’s perspective on these spaces by seeing them through my interviewee’s eyes. It is impossible to cover the whole spectrum of possible imaginations of the banlieues but with my sample I tried to cover some different perspectives. One of my interview partners was born and raised in a richer banlieue.
The second one moved to Paris in his thirties for studies. The third and fourth person mostly knew Paris as a tourist. Additionally, one of them is fascinated by the city planning of Paris, which contributed some interesting insights to my work.
“There is this picture that everything which is outside of the Boulevard Peripheries doesn’t belong to Paris. From my point of view, I think there is this strong border and people who live outside the boulevard peripheries don’t feel to belong to the city the same way as people inside the boulevard peripheries.”
Conducting this research has deepened my understanding of Parisian banlieues and enriched my engagement with diverse perspectives. Publishing this knowledge through platforms like the Geography Creative Lab and the Political Geography blog is an honour. I’m deeply thankful for this opportunity and I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all who contributed to this project. Finally, I hope you may enjoy my podcast may it make you think about the interplay of social borders and physical borders in a cities landscape as well as the power of media in production of realities, stereotypes, and identity.
Cover Image: Karte des Banlieue von Paris mit Einzeichnung des Schienennetzes. Beilage des Journals “Le Petit Parisien”; Herausgeber: Imp. Verdier, 18, rue d’Enghien, Paris. Historisches Museum der Pfalz – Speyer. Used here with Creative Commons License.