Language and fascism

Configurations of the barthesian look

Abstract

Based on Barthes’ statement, stating that language is fascist, this opinion article establishes a relationship between the political-ideological models of the Nazifascist movements and the characteristics of the concept of the Barthesian language. The analyses go through the field of philosophy of language and metaphorize the spaces of the reader, author, text and context in order to bring a provocative reflection on the historical moments and political frameworks of the last 80 years. For this examination, theorists in the field of language are taken into account, such as Rodman & Fromklin (1993), Rajagopalan (2003), Fiorin (2008); in the sphere of historiography, it dialogues with Casara (2017), Woolf (1974), Trevor-Roper (1974), in addition to other authors who surround this investigation in a relevant way. As we reflect on the reasons for totalitarian thoughts and see their approximation with the authoritarian language envisioned by Barthes, we can more easily understand how human relationships often need to be humanized. As a result of this study, it can be considered that discursive spaces are capable of generating imprisonment or freedom, they can propose fascism or democracy through literature, and such analyses need to be considered.