L’esprit voltairien dans les mouvements citoyens du XXIᵉ siècle: Étude comparative des écrits de Voltaire et des slogans/propositions des mouvements Charlie Hebdo, MeToo, Fridays for Future
Dr. Gagandeep
Assistant Professor of French
Download PDF
http://doi.org/10.37648/ijps.v19i01.024
Abstract
Voltaire’s writings remain foundational to critical thought and the defense of fundamental freedoms. Three centuries after his death, the Voltairian spirit appears to animate the discourse and demands of contemporary civic movements. Through a comparative study of Voltaire’s writings and the slogans or manifestos of movements such as Charlie Hebdo, MeToo, and Fridays for Future, this article explores how this legacy persists in modern struggles against injustice, fanaticism, and institutional apathy. The analysis highlights remarkable continuities, but also tensions and appropriations that reinterpret Voltairian principles in new political and cultural contexts.
Keywords:
Voltaire; Enlightenment; civic movements; freedom of speech; tolerance; activism
References
- Burke, T. (2021). Unbound: My story of liberation and the birth of the MeToo movement. Flatiron Books.
- Collectif. (2015). Les unes de Charlie Hebdo. Les Échappés.
- Davidson, I. (2010). Voltaire: A life. Profile Books.
- Klein, N. (2019). On fire: The burning case for a Green New Deal. Allen Lane.
- Ozouf, M. (2009). Composition française. Gallimard.
- Pearson, R. (2005). Voltaire almighty: A life in pursuit of freedom. Bloomsbury.
- Thunberg, G. (2019). No one is too small to make a difference. Penguin Books.
- Voltaire. (1998). Candide ou l’optimisme. GF-Flammarion. (Original work published 1759)
- Voltaire. (2001). Dictionnaire philosophique. Garnier-Flammarion. (Original work published 1764)
- Voltaire. (2015). Traité sur la tolérance. Gallimard. (Original work published 1763)
