Paper short abstract

The author examines how pagan culture functions as a repertoire of references through which a subgroup of activists constructs militant identities, within and against their group, in a larger far-right Catholic organization, drawing on ethnographic observation of key collective moments.

Paper long abstract

During the 2015–2016 period, I conducted a participant observation study within Action française Paris, a historic monarchist movement. This research documents both the tensions between Action française and other groups within the right-wing field (such as GUD and Génération Identitaire) and the internal tensions structuring the organization itself.

While Action française presents itself doctrinally as a Catholic and royalist movement, it appears in practice far less homogeneous. Within the Parisian section, a small subgroup of activists gravitated around a charismatic graphic designer and were drawn to pagan-inspired themes, revolutionary nationalist ideas, and neofolk music.

We will analyze the social dynamics of this group within Action française by exploring two dialectical logics. The first concerns the opposition between a Catholic pole, endowed with strong social and cultural capital and rooted in families historically linked to Action française, and a paganophile pole originating from middle- or popular class backgrounds with no prior socialization into far-right activism.

The second logic contrasts the group’s tendency toward homogenization with processes of individuation observable among certain members. While Action française seeks to impose on its members a social identity as “camelots” in accordance with its doctrine, it also appears as a relatively open space of expression, in which activists stage social identities based on highly specific interests and cultural references.

Finally, the paper examines pagan culture as a repertoire of references through which activists construct their social and militant identities. This analysis is grounded in ethnographic observations of several particularly significant moments of collective life.