Spotlight on France

Dissecting the nationalist and racist language of presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, France's push to label nuclear energy as green. And the origins of family aid policies that have supported France's high birth rate for over 90 years.

One of France's 12 presidential candidates is the unashamedly xenophobic, anti-Islam writer and political pundit Eric Zemmour, whose popularity partially stems from his way with words. Using literary and historical references, he puts a positive spin on some of France’s more difficult historical moments, praising colonialism or claiming the Vichy regime protected French Jews. Semiologist Cécile Alduy (@cecilealduy), author of La langue de Zemmour (The language of Zemmour), has dissected the structure of his discourses. She talks about how this enables him to advance his political and ideological ambitions and how he has differentiated himself from the other far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. 
Listen to this week’s episode