Le recensement : miroir ou prescripteur ?

The population census constitutes the main provider of data on the composition of the population of a country. It is supposed to answer two fundamental questions: ‘How many are we?’ and ‘Who are we?’ This article focuses on the way in which the census paints a picture of a nation by collecting data on the ethnic or racial ‘origins’ or ‘belonging’ of populations, in the 2010 censuses. It makes a critical examination of the categorizations established to this end in different countries in the world and reveals a profound contradiction between a desire to obtain reliable statistical data on the composition of the populations and an increasingly subjectivist vision of belonging which prioritizes the self-identification of individuals. The authors analyse the issues raised by ethnic statistics in three key areas: describing and measuring the diversity of the population of a country, reinforcing equality of opportunity and anti-discrimination measures, adapting commercial offers to the specific needs of communities. They warn against the performative effects of ethnic and racial categorizations which contribute to the maintenance of existing social divisions and lead to new lines of exclusion within nations.