Media Coverage of Rachida Dati and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem: An Intersectional Analysis of Representations of Minority Women in the French Political Context

Abstract

This article examines the discursive representations of two ethnically diverse French women political figures, Rachida Dati and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, to illuminate the operation of discriminatory ideologies in French Newspapers Le Monde and Le Figaro. To complement thematic analysis and feminist critical discourse analysis, this article applies an intersectional lens throughout. In line with previous research, the study shows that both newspapers reinforce traditional gender stereotypes. Moreover, both papers suggest these politicians are illegitimate in their ministerial roles not because of the quality of their work but because of certain aspects of their social identities. This illegitimation is undertaken by subtle but persistent Othering in the newspaper coverage, with particular reference to the Maghrebian origins of both women.