Natives of French Overseas Departments Living in Metropolitan France: Migration Pathways Between Republican Assimilation and Colonial Heritage

Originating from the French colonial empire and then integrated into the Republic through their departmentalisation in 1946, the Overseas Departments (DOM) occupy a unique place within the national space. Drawing on a rich literature developed over the last years, this article examines how this tension manifests itself through the migration of natives from the DOM to France. It begins by tracing the state-implemented migration policies, which have organised the departure of thousands of Antilleans and Réunionese. The article sheds light on the motivations behind these policies, the territorial conceptions and asymmetrical social structures that made them possible, and the negotiations that have gradually modified them since 1946. The paper then investigates the multi-located belongings of DOM natives in Metropolitan France, exploring how geographical distance, forms of otherisation and racialisation, and territorial inequalities affect their experiences, sociabilities, and identifications. In conclusion, the article seeks to show how the colonial heritage and the assimilationist framework simultaneously shape migration trajectories from the French overseas departments to mainland France.