Colonial Memories and the French Partisan Right: Preserving National Identity Through or Against Diversity (2002-2022)

Abstract

Memorial issues have been one of the most important themes of the French presidential campaign of 2022. Éric Zemmour’s demand to abolish the memorial laws and Marine Le Pen’s and Valérie Pécresse’s criticism of the commemorations of the end of the Algerian War have made the relationship with the colonial past a polarising electoral issue. While the extreme right has exploited this theme since the 1960s, it is surprising that Valérie Précresse, a loyal supporter of Jacques Chirac, the great promoter of memorial reconciliation, has made anti-repentance one of her campaign themes. This article proposes to question this apparent rupture. It shows that it is the result of a process that began with the 2002 presidential elections. These elections led to a reopening of the debate on French identity thanks to a conflictualisation of the questions linked to colonial memories, leading the partisan right to fracture on cultural questions.