The premise of Louisa Yousfi’s extended essay is that social integration can result in the dilution or even loss of cultural identity, religion, culture, language, traditions, pride. Exploring works of literature including Chester Himes’s The End of a Primitive and Toni Morrison’s Beloved alongside present-day lyrics French rap duo PNL, Yousfi assesses how social integration just does not work for Black people.
A French-Algerian, the writer liberally peppers her essay with examples of world events which have had a direct negative impact on communities living in diaspora and the ways in which diasporic communities have reacted in defence.
