Racial Prejudice in French and British Immigration Policy Essay example

Racial Prejudice in French and British Immigration Policy FRANCE AND BRITAIN TODAY ARE SHADOWS OF THE GREAT COLONIAL EMPIRES they once dominated, yet the consequences of their imperial acquisitions continue to linger as both countries seek to moderate the immigration of persons from countries once part of vast imperial collections.   In general, there is little public concern when an immigrant hails from Canada or Australia or another ‘white’ dominion.   It’s a different reaction, however, when it’s a low-skilled black immigrant from Algeria or the Caribbean.   This ‘reaction’ by both the general public and policy-makers results in immigration legislation that unduly discriminates on the basis of race, ethnicity, and national origin. It is recognized that countries cannot have full open-door immigration policies as the effects on national well-being would be staggering.   There is, however, a great deal of latitude for countries to shape policies that provide equal-opportunity for migrants without regard for race, ethnicity, or national origin, or, on the contrary, to enact legislation that discriminates on the basis of these attributes.   In the case of Britain and France during the past 40 years, immigration policies have drifted from the latter to the former, without fully characterizing either of these two extremes. During the latter half of the twentieth century, strong anti-black and anti-minority sentiment has been veiled in the form of anti-immigration stances by leading political parties in both France and Britain.   These positions were regulated in both countries by public sentiment, party power, and the economic well-being of the country.   In the case of France, however, the emergence of the prominent French nat... ..., is not foreseeable. It is lamentable that the immigration policies of France and Britain have become so restrictive during the past 40 years, but one can only hope that the next 40, whether as individual states or in unison as EU members, bring a gradual decline in the racially prejudicial nature of French and British immigration policy.    Works Cited ‘Background to British National Law.’   Britain in the USA.   British Information Services.   19 July 1998.   . Hargreaves, Alec G.   Immigration, ‘Race’ and Ethnicity in Contemporary France.   London:   Routledge, 1995. Miles, Robert.   ‘The Articulation of Racism & Nationalism.’   Racism & Migration in Western Europe.   Ed. John Solomos and John Wrench.   Oxford:   Berg, 1993. Solomos, John.   Race & Racism in Britain.   New York:   St. Martin’s Press, 1993.