Redefining Stereotypes – The Banlieue and Female Experience in Faïza Guène’s Kiffe kiffe demain
: Ahonen Mirka
: 2016
: French Cultural Studies
: 27
: 2
: 168
: 177
: 10
: 0957-1558
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0957155815616587
: http://frc.sagepub.com/content/27/2.toc
In this article I discuss the female banlieue experience in Faïza Guène’s Kiffe kiffe demain, which describes daily life in a Parisian banlieue from the perspective of a girl with an immigrant background. In contemporary French literature the banlieues are usually portrayed either as oppressive places, where the characters feel alienated, or as non-places: according to Marc
Augé meaningless spaces of transit and anonymity. Banlieue representations have also often reproduced stereotypical views about women. I argue that Kiffe kiffe demain challenges popular stereotypes and portrays a more nuanced image of the banlieue and its gendered practices. In the novel, the banlieue
clearly does not evoke a sense of non-place, but rather holds personal
and emotional values and meanings for the characters.
The perspective of a young girl, ordinary
experiences of everyday life, and a sense of community play an important
role in
constructing a rich image of the banlieue.