88

In the early 1980s, months-long social conflicts plagued Citroën’s and Talbot’s car plants, with immigrant workers at the forefront of the mobilizations. The crisis in the factories can also be described as a crisis of hegemonic masculinity, as it upset the hierarchy between differentiated masculinities that was the culmination of a long history of workplace social relations. This article examines the characteristics of these masculinities before and during those conflicts, paying special attention to the violent practices of the different groups of actors involved.