Celebration/Subversion of French Assimilation: A Contrapuntal Analysis of Zebda’s Art

This article attempts to understand the ambivalent attitude of celebration/subversion towards French immigration and assimilation policies by artists of immigrant descent. Using Edward Said's concept of contrapuntal reading, it analyzes the song "J'y suis j'y reste" by Zebda, a music band whose protest songs are a form of militant struggle against discrimination. Such artists, who celebrate the varied cultural landscape and the polyphonic identity of the contemporary French Republic, aspire for a shift from a monocultural melting pot to a multicultural mosaic that honors its values of liberty, equality, and fraternity.