Mimicry of Marginality in Soft Authoritarian Identity Politics

This study examines soft authoritarian identity politics, a political phenomenon which portrays struggles for minority rights as a threat to the majority population. Employing Critical Discourse Analysis and focusing on the mainstream discourse in France, this article analyzes presidential speeches, discourse from high-ranking government officials, and media. It reveals the normalizing effects of reversing discursive positions and the growing ideological convergence between far-right stances and government rhetoric.