In France, la racaille is a stereotyped figure of a young (usually identified as Arab or Black) man who lives in a suburban cité (social housing estate). I have repeatedly met la racaille during my ethnographic studies on heterosexual romantic relationships among 15- to 20-year-old youngsters from three different social backgrounds—working class in cités (2002–2005), working class in villages (2008–2011), and bourgeoisie in Paris (2016–2020). I encountered it in the form of a performed figure—object of speech, clothing choices, gestures, movements, and ways of speaking. This presence reveals a collective fascination in which various negative judgments are mixed with shared admiration for its high social visibility. Stylish and powerful, la racaille is fascinating, at any rate because it embodies an exaggerated masculinity that is untroubled and unquestionable.

在法国，la racaille 是一个住在郊区cité（社会住宅区）的年轻人（通常被认为是阿拉伯人或黑人）的刻板印象。在我对来自三个不同社会背景的 15 至 20 岁年轻人的异性恋关系进行民族志研究时，我多次遇到 la racaille（2002-2005）、乡村工人阶级（2008-2011）和巴黎资产阶级（2016-2020）。我以表演人物的形式遇到了它——说话的对象、服装选择、手势、动作和说话方式。这种存在揭示了一种集体迷恋，其中各种负面判断与对其高度社会知名度的共同钦佩混合在一起。时尚而有力的 la racaille 令人着迷，无论如何，因为它体现了一种毫不费力且不容置疑的夸张男性气质。