French Populism and Discourses on Secularism
Ebook
Per-Erik Nilsson takes a religious studies approach to analyse the intersections of secularism, nationhood and populism in contemporary France. This book provides insight into the French and European radical-nationalist ideology and activism, and contributes to our understanding of the complex relationship between religion and the state in contemporary Europe and beyond.
When Marine Le Pen became the leader of the radical nationalist and populist party National Front in 2011, she made clear that secularism was a core value of party. This signalled a significant shift in the party's rhetorical strategies and previous reluctance to embrace secularism. Nilsson argues that this conspicuous appropriation first came about as a logical result of the obsession of the established mainstream political parties and news media with questions of secularism, national identity and Islam. He shows that a key player in understanding the National Front's change is the web-based journal Riposte Laïque, which has become a central actor in French radical-nationalist and anti-Muslim web and street-based activism. For the first time, this source is examined in order to understand French radical nationalists' recent appropriation of secularism, as well as debates on secularism, national identity and Islam in France more broadly.
A thought-provoking analysis of the intersections and complexities between secularism, the far right, national identity, and populism in France and beyond.
Sheds light on one of the most pressing social and political questions of our time: nationalism and rise of the far right
The first book to apply a religious studies approach to the rise of the far right
Provides unique insight into the French and European far-right and ultra-nationalist ideology and activism, including first analysis of online far-right journal Riposte Laïque
Preface
1 Under Siege: Approaching Secularism, Populism, and Nationhood
in France
2 A Green Cancer: The Construction of an External Enemy
3 Collaborators and Traitors: The Construction of Internal Enemies
4 The Real People: Identifying the True People of France
5 Reconquista or Death: The Exploration of Strategies to Purify
the Nation
6 Echoes from the Past: An Outlook on Europe
Notes
References
Index
In this in-depth dissection of an important French identitarian far-right movement, Per-
Erik Nilsson gives us a clear insight into how these anti-Muslim activists, misleadingly
claiming to work in the cause of secularism, argue and mobilize in their frightening
attempt to carry out a religious cleansing of France.
To stand out from a crowd of researchers, one has to take a very unusual and creative approach to the topic. In his book French Populism and Discourses on Secularism Per-Erik Nilsson does just this by exploring the phenomenon of populism from a unique perspective.
This timely book is a must-read for those interested in (and concerned by) how laïcité
has been mobilized for nationalist, racist and xenophobic ends. Why laïcité and why now?
Scholars in a diverse range of fields will find answers in this empirically and theoretically
rich monograph.
- Title: French Populism and Discourses on Secularism
- Author: Per-Erik Nilsson
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2018
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781350055841, 9781350170216, 1350170216, 1350055840
- Resource ID: LLS:9781350055841
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-09T02:09:55Z
Per-Erik Nilsson is Associate Professor in Sociology of Religion at Uppsala University, Sweden. He is the author of Unveiling the French Republic: National Identity, Secularism, and Islam in contemporary France (2017).