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|related = |footnotes = }} The French ((フランス語:Français)) are a nation and ethnic group who are identified with the country of France. This connection may be legal, historical, or cultural. Descending from peoples of Celtic (Gauls) origin, later mixing with Romance (Romans) and Germanic (Franks) origin,〔 and having experienced a high rate of inward migration since the middle of the 19th century, modern French society can be considered a melting pot.〔French historian Gérard Noiriel uses the phrase "creuset français" to express the idea, in his pioneering work ''Le Creuset français'' (1988). See ; translated from French by Geoffroy de Laforcade.〕 France was still a patchwork of local customs and regional differences in the late 19th century, and besides the common speaking of the French language, the definition of some unified French culture is a complex issue. Some French have equated their nationality with citizenship, regardless of ethnicity or country of residence.〔 Successive waves of immigrants during the 19th and 20th centuries were rapidly assimilated into French culture. Seeing itself as an inclusive nation with universal values, France has always valued and strongly advocated assimilation where immigrants were expected to adhere to French traditional values and cultural norms. However, despite the success of such assimilation, the French Government abandoned it in the mid-1980s encouraging immigrants to retain their distinctive cultures and traditions and requiring from them a mere integration.〔Sylvia Zappi, "French Government Revives Assimilation Policy", in ''Migration Policy Institute'' ()〕 This "integrationist" policy has recently been called into question, for example, following the 2005 French riots in some troubled and impoverished immigrant suburbs. Most French people speak the French language as their mother tongue, but certain languages like Norman, Occitan, Corsican, Basque, French Flemish and Breton remain spoken in certain regions (see Language policy in France). In addition to mainland France, French people and people of French descent can be found internationally, in overseas departments and territories of France such as the French West Indies (''French Caribbean''), and in foreign countries with significant French-speaking population groups or not, such as Switzerland (''French Swiss''), the United States (''French Americans''), Canada (''French Canadians''), Argentina (''French Argentines''), Brazil (''French Brazilians'') or Uruguay (''French Uruguayans''), and some of them have a French cultural identity.〔Alexandra Hughes, Alex Hughes, Keith A Reader, Keith Reader -(Encyclopedia of Contemporary French Culture ) - p 232. Retrieved 12 April 2013.〕〔(Countries and Their Cultures ) French Canadians - ''everyculture.com'' Retrieved 12 April 2013.〕 ==Citizenship and legal residence== To be French, according to the first article of the French Constitution, is to be a citizen of France, regardless of one's origin, race, or religion (''sans distinction d'origine, de race ou de religion'').〔"France shall be an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic. It shall ensure the equality of all citizens before the law, without distinction of origin, race or religion", (Constitution of 4 October 1958 )〕 According to its principles, France has devoted itself to the destiny of a ''proposition nation'', a generic territory where people are bounded only by the French language and the assumed willingness to live together, as defined by Ernest Renan's "''plébiscite de tous les jours''" ("daily referendum" on the willingness to live together, in Renan's 1882 essay "Qu'est-ce qu'une nation?"). The debate concerning the integration of this view with the principles underlying the European Community remains open.〔One point of friction can be the status of minority languages. However, though almost extinct, such regional languages are preserved in France and one can learn them at school as a second language (''enseignement de langue regionale'').〕 A large number of foreigners〔Encyclopædia Britannica ''"in the 19th and especially in the 20th century, (has become ) the prime recipient of foreign immigration into Europe"'' (Encyclopædia Britannica Article: French ethnic groups ).〕 have traditionally been permitted to live in France and succeeded in doing so.〔Josephine Baker, one of the most famous American residents in France, has said: ''the USA is my country but Paris is my home''.〕 Indeed, the country has long valued its openness, tolerance and the quality of services available.〔For instance, the World Health Organization found that France provided the "best overall health care" in the world (World Health Organization Assesses the World's Health Systems )〕 Application for French citizenship is often interpreted as a renunciation of previous state allegiance unless a dual citizenship agreement exists between the two countries (for instance, this is the case with Switzerland: one can be both French and Swiss). The European treaties have formally permitted movement and European citizens enjoy formal rights to employment in the state sector (though not as trainees in reserved branches, e.g., as magistrates). Seeing itself as an inclusive nation with universal values, France has always valued and strongly advocated assimilation. However, the success of such assimilation has recently been called into question. There is increasing dissatisfaction with, and within, growing ethno-cultural enclaves (''communautarisme''). The 2005 French riots in some troubled and impoverished suburbs (''les quartiers sensibles'') were an example of such tensions. However they should not be interpreted as ethnic conflicts (as appeared before in other countries like the USA and the UK) but as social conflicts born out of socioeconomic problems endangering proper integration.〔Hughes LAGRANGES, ''Emeutes, renovation urbaine et alienation politique'', Observatoire sociologique du changement, Paris, 2007 ()〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「French people」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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