French sociologists see Macron as exemplar of ‘Zombie Catholicism’
May 11, 2017
In a provocative new book, two French sociologists detail the lingering influence of Catholic traditions among people who no longer practice the faith: a phenomenon they dub “zombie Catholicism.”
“Zombie Catholics” typically come from the regions that resisted the French Revolution, write Emmanuel Todd and Hervé Le Bras in Le Mystere Francais. They see newly elected President Emmanuel Macron as an example, insofar as he appeals to voters whose attitudes reflect the traditions of French Catholicism, if not necessarily the principles of Catholic teaching:
Highly educated and meritocratic, they also privilege a traditional ordering of professional and domestic duties between husbands and wives; strong attachment to social, community, and family activities; and a general wariness over the role of the state in private and community affairs, including ‘free schools’ [i.e. Catholic schools].
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