ABSTRACT
The Sans-Papiers of France have been the subject of much commentary relating to how they have troubled notions of citizenship, nation and belonging. The Sans-Papiers as a self-conscious movement with staying power. The major turning point for the Sans-Papiers, the moment when they achieved national prominence and became a cohesive movement, was the series of occupations that took place during the spring and summer of 1996. One of the critical issues faced by the Sans-Papiers from the beginning, has been the desire to maintain autonomy over their own struggle. Autonomy and resisting the legal paradigm have been central to the growth and success of the movement; the undermining of these aspects is closely intertwined with the decline of the movement in the late 1990s. In short, the Sans-Papiers have taught us to reject the artificial constructs of the 'legal' refugee which have come to hegemonise discourse over the past century, and which have erected ever higher barriers.
