The traditionalist Catholic networks of the Front National
Special report: Political parties and religions: Between the sacralization of politics and the secularization of religion
The case of an FN federation in a rural French department (1980s–2010s)
By Guillaume LetourneurEnglish
This article examines the presence of a traditionalist Catholic culture within the Front National at the local level. It attempts to analyze how activists from this political-religious movement are involved in the party at the grassroots level. The case of the Mayenne federation allows us to highlight both the weight of territorial networks of traditionalism and the specific activist resources of these particular members. To do this, the article deciphers the roles and commitments of some locally based traditionalist activists at different stages in the party’s history, from the 1980s to the 2010s.