D’abord ils sont venus chercher les mots
When: 22.09.2026 20:00
Where: 48.867426, 2.318928
Organizer: Admin
Professor at Stanford University, semiotician and recognized specialist in political discourse analysis, Cécile Alduy dedicates her work to the way words shape our collective representations and influence democratic choices. For several years, she has been decoding the rhetorical strategies that accompany contemporary political transformations, from the French far‑right to Trumpism in the United States.
On the occasion of the publication of her book *D’abord ils sont venus chercher les mots*, she analyzes the broad offensive launched against entire sectors of knowledge, research, and teaching since Donald Trump’s return to the presidency. Through lists of words banned or made undesirable in universities, administrations, or public programs, she shows how control of language becomes an instrument of power to dominate thoughts and kill any critical spirit.
Because the stakes far exceed the issue of censorship. What happens when it becomes impossible to name certain realities? How do linguistic restrictions transform our way of thinking about the world? What becomes of research, academic freedom, and democratic debate when the words themselves become a political battlefield?
Animated by journalist and filmmaker Paloma Moritz, this meeting proposes to reflect on an essential question of our time: how to defend the plurality of knowledge and narratives when language is impoverished?
A meeting to understand why attacks on words are often the first signs of attacks on freedoms.
Tags: book launch, politics, academic, lecture
Source: https://www.paris.fr/evenements/d-abord-ils-sont-venus-chercher-les-mots-117353
Open in Vibelocate · Markdown