Dyskusja parlamentarna na temat prawa o obywatelstwie we Francji w latach 90. XX w.

Abstract

This paper analyses parliamentary debates at the French National Assembly concerning the nationality law amendment. It begins with short discussion of the specific French concept of nationality and an overview of the main legal provisions of the amendment considered in discussion. The most important topics correlate with those that structured public debate in 1980s. – immigration and national identity. The right-wing parties’ line of argumentation reveals similarities with the discourse of Front National in many points. In addition to discussion of ideas of nationhood directly adopted by deputies, the Author also analyses their understanding of nationhood as it transpires through the debate (R. Brubaker’s models of civic and ethnic-cultural understanding of nationhood are used as ideal-types). The proponents of restraining access to French citizenship reveal a discernibly more ‘ethnic’ idea of the body politic. These debates show that reforms of law on nationality are closely linked with the way the concept of belonging to a nation is understood. Various reasons add up to the fact that the debate takes a symbolic twist. Right-wing deputies considered the amendment bill as symbolic endorsement of national identity. On the other hand, it should be observed that the discussion was also influenced by deputies’ ideas on imigration, social cohesion and national identity. The paper attempts to relate the subject to debate upon nature and usefulness of the civic/ethnic-cultural categories of nationhood and their correlation with the fundamentals of nationality law (ius soli and ius sanguinis).