Un espace public oppositionnel contrarié ? L’institutionnalisation partisane de la rébellion cynégétique en France

Abstract

The emergence of a movement centred on hunting had something atypical about it on the French political scene in the late 1980’s, although similar phenomena developed at the same moment in Italy, the United Kingdom and Portugal. Initially, they were interpreted as purely reactionary, revealing a return to a form of poujadism. By settling in for the long term and highlighting its agrarian ideological background, the “hunters’ party” (CPNT : Hunting, fishing, nature and traditions) subsequently provoked various renewals – analyzing it. Here we propose approaching the phenomenon from a theoretical angle inspired by Oskar Negt. He encourages us to see this initial attempt at making an oppositional public space emerge as the mark of a “rebellious subjectivity”, present among these “little hunters” also actors in the labour movement. Quickly caught up in the constitution of a political party, this aborted experiment swung in favour of institutionalization. Yet the party has preserved traces of its rebellious origins in its repertory of action. This story also has a lot to say about identitary processes placing class membership and territorial reference in competition.

Keywords

• hunting
• popular classes
• politicization
• ruralities
• oppositional public space