An Examination of Media Usage among French-Muslims

Abstract

Media help in the formation of identity. For ethnic communities, ethnic media can play a dual role, aiding in the acculturation process and assisting in holding onto ethnic identities. This study examines media and identity negotiation. Specifically, this study analyzes differences in media usage among French-Muslims. The principal researcher interviewed 42 first and second generation French-Muslims to explore their media usage and the relationships between their media usage and ethnic identification. Analysis uncovered two key findings. First, second-generation French-Muslims prefer to use ethnic media more than French produced media as a form of protest against French assimilationist policies. Second, abandoning ethnic media is equated with becoming French, which is something first and second generation French-Muslims resist.

Keywords:

• Media Usage
• Assimilation/Acculturation
• Islam

Notes

Note

[1] When an interview transcript is provided in English, this means the participant spoke English during the interview. Moreover, the transcript is provided without grammatical correction to protect the integrity of the participants’ words. When transcripts are provided in French, this means the interviewee spoke French for the interview; a subsequent English translation is provided after the French transcript. The principal investigator, who has studied French for more than 10 years and researched in France for more than 5 years, did the first translations. A native North African French speaker then checked these translations.