Diaspora en France

We have to look at the historical process to understand the real meaning of the diaspora. The first meaning comes from the Ancient Greece. The concept of diaspora refers to the group/ people who left a mother city (metropolis) and founded colonies in various parts of the world. It usually refers to the populations expelled from their country, who maintain emotional, cultural, economic and political ties between them across borders. It also indicates to those who have left their country in order to improve their living conditions, apart from those who have been forcibly displaced from their homeland.

From another point of view, the diaspora has been defined as “a seed thrown into the ground spreads to different points and gives a product with its own identity”. This also raise a question that mainly related to challenge in identity. Although this challenge is more pronounced during the first generation, it gradually decreases during the second and thirdgenerations.France is one of the countries where we can purely see the importance of diasporas in domestic and foreign policy.

In more specific point of view by looking at France, there are many national diasporas in France. The most frequent countries of birth of immigrants are Algeria (12,7 %), Morocco (12 %) Portugal (8,6 %), Tunisia (4,5 %), Italy (4,1 %), Turkey (3,6 %) and Spain (3,5 %). Half of the immigrants come from one of these seven countries.

But more interestingly, there is not much information about Armenians in French official sources. Armenians, one of the nations with the strongest diasporas, are very powerful in France.

“France currently has some 350,000 Armenians, which is the largest Armenian community in Europe. It is the second home of the diaspora, the first being the United States where about 800,000 Armenians reside.“. This phrase appears on the official website of the ACAM .Armenians also provides the best example of how diasporas work.

The context between Armenia and Turkey’s tension have a huge influence in France. For example, publications promoting the "Armenian genocide" are frequently published in very influential newspapers such as Le Monde, Libération, Le Figaro, even Le Canard Enchaîné. The topic is being covered on national and regional televisions, radios, conferences; symposiums are organized. Moreover, brochures, books and articles are published. By looking at this, it is safe to say that diasporas are not refer to population, their ideological process and cultural dynamics are the most significant part to be influenced a nation, which they are located. For this reason, a nation’s policy makers cannot ignored Diasporas in their countries. France is one of the examples that paved the way for understanding the value of diasporas.