Advocacy and Anti-Racism: French Nonprofit Associations in the Fight Against Racial Profiling

• In Event: 455 - Regular Session. Racism and Anti-Racism: International Perspectives

Abstract

Anti-racism in France has largely been considered at the ideational level, focusing on universalist or particularist approaches. This paper argues that anti-racism in France is better conceptualized through the logics of legality and citizenship, and through strategies of action: community organizing, strategic litigation and individualist strategies.
This paper focuses on racial profiling by law enforcement, a civil rights issue drawing increasing attention across the globe. By concentrating on this particular anti-racist issue, this study maps the logics and strategies of action of a wide range of nonprofits that may not otherwise be included in a study of anti-racism. While research has detailed the practices of law enforcement officers and confirmed the unequal rates of stops of minorities, less is known about the range of strategies employed to fight this form of discrimination.
Drawing on interviews, ethnographic observations, and analysis of textual and archival materials from nonprofit organizations actively working on the issue of racial profiling, this paper unpacks the processes and mechanisms of anti-racism in the nonprofit sector.
The analytic objectives of tracing these strategies are twofold. First, this paper contributes to the extant research on anti-racism by broadening attention from analysis of discourse, to analysis of both discourse, action, and networks. As such, this study considers the practical opportunities and constraints for anti-racist action by nonprofits. Secondly, this paper contributes to the growing field examining the role of advocacy nonprofits in social change, by considering how this organizational field contributes to the goals of democratic ideals and practice.

Author

• Nicole Arlette Hirsch, Harvard University