Patricia Geesey  (University of North Florida)
"Perdu de vue," "MacGyver," and La Haine: Popular Culture in Kiffe kiffe demain

Faïza Guène's successful novel of 2004 has established its young author as one of the most refreshing voices of "la Cité" in recent years. Doria, the 15 year-old narrator of Kiffe kiffe demain, resides in the projects of Livry-Gargan and fills the text with her comical and often acerbic remarks about her own situation, the lives of her family and neighbors, as well as her mother's economic struggles after her father abandons them to return to Morocco and remarry another woman who can give him a son. Doria's first-person narration overflows with references to popular culture, especially French and American television programs. These references to popular culture reveal Doria's talent for "braconnage" (Rosello's term), lifting and filtering cultural refernces from her environment (the banlieue, television, the lycee) in order to formulate her own unique cultural discourse. In this text, Guène's character manipulates popular culture references in order to create a unique personal space, positioning herself both within dominant French culture and a global "pop" culture. My analysis of this novel will refer to previous studies of "Beur" and "Banlieue" culture by Alec Hargreaves, Mireille Rosello, and Valerie Orlando.