Poujade's Infowars: On Barthes's Anti-Anti-Intellectualism

The French politician Pierre Poujade (1920–2003), who launched a pro-small-business party in the 1950s and was an early mentor to Jean-Marie Le Pen, was famously opposed to intellectuals, the media, and other elites whom he saw as enemies of the people. Roland Barthes's keen rhetorical analysis of Poujade's speeches showed the extent of the politician's anti-intellectualism and offers a helpful guide in deciphering contemporary reactionary rhetoric, which relies on many of the same tropes. Inspired by Barthes's analysis, this article shows the ways in which Poujade engaged in information warfare in order to advance his agenda.