Post-Colonial Settler Political Culture: The Pied Noir Community in Marseilles, France

Post-Colonial Settler Political Culture: The Pied Noir Community in Marseilles, France 2025 SC Upstate Research Symposium Author (Student) Information: Lauren Napier Sociology [email protected] Co-Author (Faculty) Information: Lizabeth Zack Professor of Sociology and SCW Department Chair CAHSS/SCW [email protected] Abstract: (Maximum 250-words) This project seeks to address the broad question of what happens to settler political movements after decolonization and the dismantling of settler colonial systems by examining the impact of decolonization on the French settler movement in the decades after Algerian independence. In particular the project examines the political culture of present-day pied noir communities in France, including their modes of identity and participation, party affiliation, activism, and organized influence on the French political system in recent decades. Other research has looked at the formation of the pied noir identity, their penchant for nostalgia of the colonial past and their political movements following the decolonization of Algeria (Jordi; Eldridge; Zack). To investigate current political culture of the pied noir, 8 surveys and interviews were administered among identified pied noir in Marseille, France. Findings contradict previous research in that 100% reported not being involved in politics, 62.5% did not want or were neutral about the pied noir story being remembered, 66.7% reported no involvement in their community or religious practices, and 75% of respondents reported no cultural differences compared to the French. This study, though limited by its sample size, highlights the need for further research on post-colonial experiences of cultural assimilation, social isolation, political participation, and memory.