The relationship between space and politics is explored through a study of French urban policy. Drawing upon the political thought of Jacques Ranciere, this book proposes a new agenda for analyses of urban policy, and provides the first comprehensive account of French urban policy in English.

List of Figures and Tables. List of Abbreviations and Acronyms. Series Editors’ Preface. Acknowledgements. Part I: Badlands:. 1. Introduction: The Fear of ‘the Banlieue’. The Colour of Fear. Organization of the Book. 2. State’s Statements: Urban Policy as Place-Making. Neoliberalism, Neoliberalization and the City. The Republican State and Its Contradictions. The Republican Penal State and Urban Policy. Part II: The Police:. 3. The Right to the City? Revolts and the Initiation of Urban Policy. The Hot Summer of 1981: How Novel is ‘Violence’?. Brixton in France? The Haunting of the French Republic. The ‘Founding Texts’ of Urban Policy. The ‘Anti-immigrant Vote’. Consolidation of Urban Policy. Conclusions: Consolidation of the Police. 4. Justice, Police, Statistics: Surveillance of Spaces of Intervention. When the Margin is at the Centre. The ‘Return of the State’. ‘I Like the State’. Justice, Police, Statistics. Conclusions: Looking for a ‘Better’ Police …. … a ‘Republican’ One. 5. From ‘Neighbourhoods in Danger’ to ‘Dangerous Neighbourhoods’: The Repressive Turn in Urban Policy. Encore! The Ghost Haunting the French Republic. Pacte de Relance: Old Ghosts, New Spaces. ‘They are Already Stigmatized’: Affirmative Action à la française. Is ‘Positive Discrimination’ Negative?. Insecurity Wins the Left: The Villepinte Colloquium. Remaking Urban Policy in Republican Terms. Whither Urban Policy?. The Police Order and the Police State. Back to the Statist Geography. Conclusions: Repressive Police. Part III: Justice in Banlieues:. 6. A ‘Thirst for Citizenship’: Voices from a Banlieue. Vaulx-en-Velin between Official Processions and Police Forces. Vaulx-en-Velin after the trentes glorieuses. A ‘Thirst for Citizenship’. A Toil of Two Cities (in One). Whose List is More ‘Communitarian’?. Conclusions: Acting on the Spaces of the Police. 7. Voices into Noises: Revolts as Unarticulated Justice Movements. Revolting Geographies. Geographies of Repression: ‘Police Everywhere, Justice Nowhere’. Policies of Urgency: ’20 Years for Unemployment, 20 Years for Insecurity’. Conclusions: Form a ‘Just Revolt of the Youth’ to ‘Urban Violence’. 8. Conclusion: Space, Politics and Urban Policy. Notes. References. Index

This is a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive account of French urban policy. Badlands of the Republic offers a fresh approach to space and politics, while providing insights into the politics of immigration and the contemporary transformations of the state in France. The author not only proposes a new way of looking at urban policy, but also challenges overarching generalizations that are based almost exclusively on the British and North American experience. This resource provides analysis on the revolts in the “banlieues” of French cities in 2005 and covers a variety of other topics related to contemporary citizenship and immigration. Its rich empirical material derives from sources that go beyond mere investigation of official documents. It is the only thorough account of French urban policy written in English.