Le populisme a-t-il gagné la bataille culturelle ?

“Who controls language controls thought.” Formulated by George Orwell in 1984, this intuition today takes on a particular resonance at a time when words, narratives and imaginaries are at the heart of political confrontations. In an increasingly polarized public space, some political forces, notably populist movements, are no longer content to merely participate in the debate: they seek to redefine its very terms. From then on, the political battle also seems to become a cultural battle, where both the legitimacy of ideas and the hierarchy of values are at stake.

Populist movements, despite the diversity of their forms, often share a reading of the cultural field: it would be dominated by elites disconnected from the “people”, conveying values considered far removed from national identities. It is no longer just a matter of supporting or framing it, but of redefining it as a tool for identity construction and political legitimation.

To what extent, then, are populist movements able to redefine the cultural and symbolic frameworks of public debate? In this context of polarization, can culture still constitute a space for dialogue and resistance to these dynamics?