Graduation Year
2019
Date of Submission
5-2019
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
International Relations
Reader 1
Lisa Koch
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2019 Evan M Boyer
Abstract
The Twenty-First Century has seen increasing support for far-right authoritarian policies across Europe, particularly in France. This paper identifies and explains the connection between the rising power of France’s far-right, populist party and the pervasive sentiments of Islamophobia through an examination of major theories, anxiety-producing events, and reactionary legal actions in France pertaining to the oppression of Muslims. It begins with an analysis of France’s colonial history and its lasting implications concerning the legitimacy of anti-Muslim rhetoric. Next, the paper analyzes the usage of terrorism as a framed threat by far-right politicians to promote authoritarian agendas. It then examines France’s unwillingness and inability to integrate Muslim immigrants into French society, predicated off of major threat perceptions associated with Muslims and Islam. Finally, the paper offers an understanding of how the greatest threat to France is not the electoral success of the Front National, but the historical implications concerning the increasingly normalized nature of policies supported by the FN.
Recommended Citation
Boyer, Evan, "The Rise of Populism in 21st Century France: Normalizing Islamophobia" (2019). CMC Senior Theses. 2169.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2169
