Metapolitics, the concept at the heart of the offensive led by the reactionary right in culture

There is a word that is heard more and more often, but that almost no one can really explain: métapolitique. It is not a new philosophical fad, but the heart of a strategy that is changing the way the radical right seeks power in France. The revolutionary idea is that the real political battle is not fought at the polls, but in culture — in bookstores, movies, TV, and even at parties or on social media. Metapolitics means working upstream of politics: changing people's ideas so that what seems unthinkable today becomes normal tomorrow. Instead of convincing with electoral programs, those who use métapolitique aim to occupy all the spaces where values and desires are formed, from literature to music, from cinema to social networks. Tristan Boursier, a political scientist and professor in Montréal, explains that métapolitique does not seek direct power, but wants to make ideas acceptable that were on the fringes until yesterday. It is not a new theory: the term is already found in the works of Joseph de Maistre, an 18th-century counter-revolutionary thinker, who used it to speak of a "metaphysics of politics," that is, the set of values and worldviews that lie beneath the surface of laws and governments. But since the 1970s, the new French right has turned this old word into a weapon. Instead of focusing everything on parties and parliaments, it began to invest in publishing, festivals, schools, and the media. Think about what has happened recently: the dismissal of the director of the historic publishing house Grasset, the controversies over appointments and funding in the film industry, and the attempt to bring large chains such as UGC under the control of politically aligned entrepreneurs. It is a slow, almost invisible strategy, but one that transforms the playing field. A fact that leaves one stunned: in academic circles, it has been seen that métapolitique more often succeeds in changing common sense than a hundred election campaigns. And here is the real reversal: we worry about who wins the elections, but in the meantime, it is the narratives, the symbols, the novels, and the TV series that are pushing the boundaries of what is sayable or thinkable. The question that no one asks is: who decides what becomes normal? And if the answer is increasingly publishers, influencers, and producers linked to radical visions, then the real game is played long before the polls. Now, there are those who think that this is a strategy only of the extreme right, but in reality métapolitique can be used by any movement that has the patience and vision to change culture from the bottom up. After all, if you want to change the world, you first have to change the stories that people tell and listen to. Elections are just the tip of the iceberg: the real battle is for the collective imagination. If, after this Note, you realize that you too have underestimated how much culture precedes politics, you can press I'm In on Lara Notes — it's the way to say that this perspective now belongs to you. And if in the next few days you find yourself talking about it with someone — perhaps while watching a movie or discussing a book — on Lara Notes you can tag those who were there with Shared Offline: that way, the conversation stays alive even off-screen. This idea comes from Le Monde and saves you 2 minutes of reading.