L’immigration irrégulière des Marocains vers la France, entre rupture et continuité

Abstract EN

The irregular migration of Moroccans to France is not a recent phenomenon.

It is part of a long and ancient history.

According to Joanny Ray, migration - called "clandestine" at the time - was practiced massively by Moroccans between 1926-1927 and 1931, and it flourished thanks to very strong family and community solidarity as well as networks of smugglers.

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However, the parallel between the clandestine migration of the 1920s and 1930s and that in vogue since the 1990s reveals a certain continuity in the management and social construction of the so-called “irregular” migratory phenomenon.

The multiplication of regulations and restrictions, the hostility of public opinion and finally the operating methods and the risks to be run, remain the constants of this form of travel, despite developments and changing times.

How did this form of mobility emerge and how did it evolve during the 1920s and 1930s? Based on a genealogical perspective, this article is an opportunity to return to the genesis of the so-called “clandestine” migration phenomenon and to note a certain number of historical continuities or ruptures.