Identity and Socialization within the Far-Right Movement in France

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

Far-right radicalization has emerged as a problem for many countries. Arrests related to far-right radicalization in France are more frequent than arrests for religious radicalization (Europol, 2022). For a long time, authorities were only concerned about jihadist radicalization, now violent far-right groups are also emerging as a security threat.
Given the increasing concern surrounding violent far-right movements, my proposal is to delve into the process through which individuals are socialized into these groups, particularly focusing on France. Understanding this process is crucial for developing strategies to prevent far-right radicalization.
Firstly, I present the collective identity of far-right groups. This part aims to expose the visual repertoires associated with violent right-wing ideologies such as masculinism or racism.
I then propose to understand how far-right groups display their collective identity on social media and how individuals, not yet militants, are socialized into this collective identity promoted by various violent far right groups.

To accomplish this, I begin by conducting media monitoring, where I gather a substantial amount of press articles to identify all active far-right groups. Additionally, I proceed with an online analysis of accounts linked to violent right-wing ideologies, scrutinizing their visual content and presentation methods.

Author

• Pauline Vendeville, Université de Montréal