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It would be artificial to compare too closely two moments which seem different in every respect and which arose from different circumstances. The urban riots of November 2005 can be considered as the outcome of a long series of events which was initiated in 1979 in Vénissieux and gained momentum at the beginning of the 1990s (Vaulx-en-Velin), to a point where they have become one of the emblems of the transformation of suburbs in the last quarter of the twentieth century. The “March for Equality” should be relocated within a long series of subsequent mobilizations for equality, against racism and violence in the suburbs ( SOS Racisme in 1985, Stop la violence in 1999, Ni putes ni soumises in 2002). However, putting these two moments in perspective seems an efficient way to grasp – and to understand – the differences between the situation of the suburban youth of yesterday and of today, while placing the emphasis on children of North African descent because of their demographic and symbolic significance in the suburbs. Our approach centers on the notion of generation, which can be a key to interpreting the transformations that have affected youth from the working class in the past twenty years.