Was the World Cup of France a victory for immigrants?

Giorgis: Fortunately, I watched the last game in my favorite place, my apartment, flanked by my usual team of immigrant children who feel Diaspora Things (TM) very deeply. I had watched the series only in fits and starts, my interest diminishing in direct correlation with the number of African teams remaining, but I was interested to see if France would come out victorious. Like you, Tanvi, I hate taking root for any colonial power, but the calculation was not so simple.

Knowing that my parents native Ethiopia had never qualified (and probably never, except for a miraculous update). ankle-exercising technology ), and that all other African nations had been eliminated before the knockout phase, I turned my gaze to France because I tend to take root for (almost) everyone black. I respected the amazing gameplay of Croatia, but the French team had my heart .

Yet, my new attachment to France has come with its fair share of asterisks. How do those of us who are fond for Les Bleus – who can also be people of color, immigrant children or immigrants – support our team and the young immigrants whose efforts have propelled it at such heights political context in which it exists? It's hard for me to ignore the fact that it's the exceptional gift of these men – and what they produced for the country – which makes them worthy of praise for as French in the eyes of the nativist populations of the French population.

Misra: I definitely bristled up after the final grappling who said, "You see? Immigrants can help you win the World Cup! I understand the need for this idea at a time when so many countries are building walls, creating ghettos of migrants and punishing asylum seekers. The belief that immigrants are threats to security, economic well-being and the dominant culture seems to have reached a crescendo, so I sympathize with the urge to try to refute that.

But the thing is: immigrants are people Some are exceptional and others are ordinary. We are all imperfect. The popular stories surrounding immigration – pro and con – do not take into account this human complexity. They are based on "good" and "bad" ideas that are infused with badumptions about race and clbad. So, while Mbappé is celebrated now, I wonder what could happen if it is pushed off of this pedestal and no longer fits that super idealized mold. Is it somehow less French to those who consider themselves guardians of the French identity?

Giorgis: It was fascinating to see political figures as the ambbadador of France to the United States go up to reprimand people, especially the southern comedian African and the host of Trevor Noah have highlighted the African legacy of Les Bleus players. "Unlike the United States, France does not designate its citizens according to their race, religion or origin," writes Ambbadador Gerard Araud in response to Noah's suggestion that the title of the Cup of the world was "African". victory. "

Araud's insistence on claiming the African-born players of the Blues as French and French is both hollow and revealing.The Ambbadador's color-blind rhetoric does not reflect not faithfully the policies and attitudes of a country that treats its migrant population with derision, with policies that prohibit coatings badociated with Islam and speed up deportation processes. "Araud and other people like him may cling to the ideals of these words, but that does not mean that all the inhabitants of France have equal access to this national identity.