ABSTRACT
Since the 1980s the predominantly high-rise housing estates constructed in the 1950s and 60s have undergone a process of marginalisation and have become increasingly stigmatised. Despite the social, demographic and architectural diversity of the suburbs, the image of a homogeneous space known as ‘the banlieue’ produced over nearly four decades by political discourses, urban policies, media and popular culture has progressively developed into one of the most powerful myths of contemporary France. This chapter, composed of three main parts, undertakes the deconstruction of the banlieue myth. It explores the process that led to the elaboration of clichés, compares stereotypical images and reality, and examines the complex ways in which artists and civil society respond to the myth of the ghetto.
