"France deserves to be free": constituting Frenchness in Marine Le Pen's National Front/National Rally
Date
2020
Authors
Seitz, Lauren, author
Anderson, Karrin, advisor
Khrebtan-Hörhager, Julia, committee member
Daum, Courtenay, committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
This thesis employs constitutive rhetoric to analyze French far-right politician Marine Le Pen's discourse. Focusing on ten of Le Pen's speeches given between 2015 and 2019, I argue that Le Pen made use of Kenneth Burke's steps of scapegoating and purification as a way to rewrite French national identity and constitute herself as a revolutionary political leader. Le Pen first identified with the subjects and system that she scapegoats. Next, she cast out elites, globalists, and immigrants, identifying them as scapegoats of France's contemporary identity split. Finally, by disidentifying with the scapegoats, Le Pen constituted her followers as always already French patriots and herself as her leader. This allowed her to propose a new form of French national identity that was undergirded by far-right ideals and discourse of revolution. This thesis presents several implications for understanding contemporary French national identity, the far right, and women politicians. It also contributes to the project of internationalizing public address research in Communication Studies.
Description
Rights Access
Subject
far right
Le Pen, Marine
reactionary nationalism
France
constitutive rhetoric
national identity