Chapitre 11 / Mots, mythes, médias.  Mutations et invariants du discours frontiste

The use of collective memory in the populist messaging of Marine Le Pen

“…But to get followers to adhere to the party's mission, the RN must go beyond merely providing solutions for the future. Journalists Edwy Plennel and Alain Rollat, who covered the RN for a decade, suggest that Marine Le Pen has to incarnate the past in the present by evoking collective memory (Alduy andWahnich, 2015: 2512). It is through the prism of the past that all of us can understand the present (Lebow et al, 2006: 3).…”

“…This is a strategy Marine Le Pen has been following as she invokes events in French history to forge an image of herself and convey her message to the public through the use of historical archetypes. The advantage of using archetypes is that they are timeless, and they can appeal to everyone because they reference an unconscious but collective memory (Alduy andWahnich, 2015: 1880). Implicit or unconscious memories in this context are associative, consisting of links we have created in our minds between certain objects and feelings or concepts.…”

“…Speeches of populist leaders frequently use familiar mythology or a collective memory to express implicit or unconscious value-based messages (Turpin, 2006: 3). In addition, through references to legendary figures and archetypes, the populist message provides a schematic simplification of what often feels like a confusing world and offers a way to understand it (Alduy andWahnich, 2015: 1851). Le Pen has claimed success in this endeavour, saying that 'Our biggest victory .…”

“…What was the purpose of Clovis' baptism if not the building and consolidation of national unity, the masterpiece of the unifier kings, Henry IV and his 'Paris is surely worth a mass', the builders of our cathedrals, Bonaparte's codes, the black Hussars of the Third Republic, the resistance of the 1940s or the soldiers of our empire. (Quoted in Alduy andWahnich, 2015: 2011). 2 Here she invokes several pivotal moments in history when France was allegedly united.…”

“…She attacks multiculturalism for this reason, decrying it in 2013 because it 'fractures France's population along religious and ethnic lines' (Ce multiculturalisme qui fragmente la population de la France selon la religion et les origines, quoted in Alduy andWahnich, 2015: 2041). On another occasion, she argues that because of diversity which has been imposed on the French, the country has been transformed, French values, laws, and lifestyle have collapsed to the point that the French are forbidden from being themselves in their own country (quoted in Alduy andWahnich, 2015: 2041). 3 She recently put the challenge France faces in stark terms, claiming that the April 2022 election 'will be about our civilization.…”