Derderian looks at the large North African population in France and their attempts for recognition in a country which has long denied its rich immigration past and present. He considers how the North African community has developed from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, especially in their political and cultural initiatives. Derderian examines the radio station Radio Beur and the television show La Famille Ramdam , as well as political initiatives and the role of ethnic minorities in defining prominent French sites of memory such as the working-class suburbs or banlieues and the Algerian War. Based largely on oral history, Derderian draws from a wealth of interviews with North African artists and creators as well as various French cultural actors.