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The Rise of Populist Right-Wing Parties in France by Jessica Da

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The Rise of Populist Right-Wing Parties in France by Jessica Da The Rise of Populist Right-Wing Parties in France By Jessica da Silva A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Political Studies University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2018 by Jessica da Silva ABSTRACT This paper examines France as a microcosm of the rise of right-wing populism in the broader European context. The attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper is arguably, a reaction to the aggressive European secularism spreading throughout Europe that sees its true enemy in the growth of extremist and violent interpretations of Islam. With each terrorist attack, the popularity of anti-immigrant policies and ideologies increases. What ultimately drives movements like the French National Front are the concepts of monoculture and ethnic identity. This paper analyses the character of right-wing populist parties using the National Front as a case study. Such parties generate anxiety and resentment by fomenting an irrational fear of the ‘other’. In this way, populists promote their identity on the basis of xenophobia, Islamophobia and practices of social exclusion against targeted out-groups. They position immigrants and foreigners as ‘others’, claiming they are a threat to native cultures and a source of social and economic strife. Ultimately, right-wing populism exerts a negative influence over the democratic framework in Europe and opposes the European Union’s integration project. Right-wing populism attacks this supranational model because of its alleged inefficiency and departure from what it considers to be “authentic” European traditions and citizenship. In this context, understanding the rise of radical right-wing populist parties is extremely important for the future of Europe, democracy and multiculturalism. Keywords: Ring-Wing Populism, Islamophobia, Front National, Muslim, Religion, Secularism, and Xenophobia. 2 Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Introduction .............................................................................................................. 5 1.1 Right-Wing Populism: Concept and Typology ................................................................ 6 1.2 The Rise of Right-Wing Populist Parties .......................................................................... 8 1.3 The Electoral Rise of the Front National ........................................................................ 11 1.4 The Front National: in the name of women’s rights ...................................................... 13 1.5 The French Case: A Social and Historical Analysis ...................................................... 14 1.6 Xenophobia and Islamophobia in France ....................................................................... 19 1.7 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 2- Populism ................................................................................................................... 26 2.1 The Mediatisation of Politics............................................................................................ 31 2.2 Nationalism, Identity and Right-Wing Populism ........................................................... 34 2.3 Right-Wing Populism and Gender .................................................................................. 36 2.4 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 40 Chapter 3 – Front National ........................................................................................................ 46 3.1 The Front National: from Jean-Marie Le Pen to Marine Le Pen ................................ 52 3.2 The Front National and the Construction of Otherness................................................ 61 3.3 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 67 Chapter 4 – France ..................................................................................................................... 71 4.1 Nation, identity and immigration in France ................................................................... 76 3 4.2. The Issue of Immigration in France ............................................................................... 78 4.3 The Republican Myth from Universality to Particularity ............................................ 81 4.4 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 84 Chapter 5 – Xenophobia and Islamophobia ............................................................................. 87 5.1 Europe: A Construction of an Identity ........................................................................... 87 5.2 Xenophobia ........................................................................................................................ 89 5.3 The Rise of Xenophobia: Explaining the Emergence of Fear ....................................... 93 5.4 The Emergence of Islamophobia: Imaging the Muslim Other ..................................... 97 5.5 France: from its Republican Myth to Integration ....................................................... 102 5.6 Islamophobia à la française............................................................................................ 104 5.7 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 108 Chapter 6 - Conclusion: Vive la République Plurielle .......................................................... 111 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 118 4 Chapter 1 - Introduction Conducting a case study of the Front National in France, this thesis seeks to explain the proliferation of right-wing populist parties throughout Western Europe. Right-wing populist parties are exclusionary by nature and they generate anxiety and resentment by fomenting an irrational fear of the ‘other’. In this context, immigrants and foreigners not only become the ultimate ‘other’, but also threaten the nation. In positioning immigrants and foreigners as the other, these parties use xenophobia, Islamophobia and social exclusion to promote their identity. The analysis of populism investigates not only its concept and impact but also exposes the extent to which constructing an essential, homogenous European society contributes to the idea of Europe. In fact, the way that populism constructs and interprets collective identities rejects the European Union project, a Europe unified through diversity. In addition, this analysis identifies the important role of the media in the production of the ‘other’, in effect the production of an “enemy”, i.e. politics of fear. Moreover, populists’ propaganda always coalesces forms and content, focus on specific audiences and adjust to specific contexts. In acknowledging these aspects of populism, the deconstruction of their messages and their electoral success becomes possible. To deconstruct, understand and explain this phenomenon, this thesis allocates France as a microcosm of the broader European ideological context. It is no coincidence that the majority of Muslims in Europe are in France. In fact, the attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper on January 2015 and the attacks that followed symbolize the European secularism that is hostile to conservative Islam and perceive it as its true enemy. With each terrorist attack, the popularity of 5 anti-immigrant governmental policies increases. Arguably, what ultimately drives movements like the Front National are the concepts of monoculture and ethnic identity. 1.1 Right-Wing Populism: Concept and Typology Recent studies conducted by Daniele Albertazzi and Duncan McDonnell reveal that the surges of populism in Western Europe derive mainly from the inability of mainstream party to effectively resolve current issues.1 These issues include high unemployment, the effects of globalization, the immigration and integration issue, the ineffectiveness of the European Union and the Euro, and the corruption of the elite/politicians.2 In addition, these surges reflect an increase in citizens’ lack of interest in and mistrust of politics and politicians, which is demonstrated by the low voting turnouts during elections across Western Europe and the decline in party memberships. Put differently, Western European societies are allocating politics to a distant and irrelevant position in their social and personal lives.3 In the past, politicians were viewed in a far more positive light but today politicians are identified as incapable, impotent and self-serving. Consequently, this modification in Western European society’s point of view affects their electoral behavior. This lack of confidence has raised the number of dissatisfied voters who either do not bother participating in the voting process or are becoming more susceptible to more radical, political alternatives. Populism comprises many forms, which depend on how the government relates with the society and how the society relates with the government. Consequently, several populist theorists 1 Danielle Albertazzi and Duncan McDonnell, Twenty-first Century Populism: The Spectre of Western European Democracy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), 3. 2 Ibid,
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