The wave of violence that struck France in November 2005 cannot be explained simply as a reflection of the crisis in its city suburbs. Two other levels of analysis should also be included: firstly, the nation as a limit of democracy, which globalization and the figure of the foreign immigrant throw into question; and, secondly, the changes in political representation, caused by the crisis of an industrial society. More than a crisis in the city suburbs, France is today living through a crisis in the bases of democracy as a functioning institution.
France; Urban violence; Feeling of justice; Democracy