From Endogamy to Socio-Ethnic Homogamy
The issue of conjugality of French descendants of immigrants creates a new interest due to the formation of a marriage market in France and the persistence of the endogamous norm. From the data of a biographical interview survey conducted in 2007 with a hundred of people of Maghrebian, Turkish and Sahelian descent, the article proposes to examine the tension between the concerns of endogamy and homogamy. In doing so, the authors propose the concept of “ socio-ethnic homogamy ” to simultaneously take into account cultural, social and sexual dimensions involved in the marital choice of descendants of immigrants. The pre-marital spheres of socialization and variations around the norm of endogamy in the union formation lead to a thorough empirical analysis. The initiated discussions call for an understanding of the process of spousal developing which, as a result of internal logic and external pressures, lead to a reinterpretation of endogamy.