Sociology

Those Who Remain: Living in a Countryside in Decline

    Translated by
  • Zachary Heyman

A vivid portrait of rural and working-class life that links the dynamics of social ties to far-right political alignments

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Published:
Dec 8, 2026
2027
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Rural and working-class voters in France have increasingly supported the politics鈥攁nd the worldview鈥攐f the country鈥檚 far right. What accounts for this realignment? In Those Who Remain, sociologist Beno卯t Coquard immerses himself in working class life in the rural and industrialized northeast areas of France, exploring the political allegiances of those left behind after the rural exodus of the last century. Coquard鈥攈imself a native of this social milieu鈥攄ocuments the intense friendships and family ties that cement social bonds. He shows how competition for employment, gender discrimination, and the relationships between whites and descendants of immigrants shape new forms of collective consciousness that have found expression in right-wing ideologies.

Coquard moves beyond conventional explanations for the rise of the far right, describing working-class cultural models that run counter to the values of schooling, formal credentials, and idealized visions of social harmony. In this society, reputation is paramount; you may compete with your peers, but you must also help those you think of as your real friends. Central to this world is not 鈥渨e, the workers鈥 or 鈥渨e, the locals鈥 but 鈥渦s first,鈥 a claim of precedence over others that echoes the far right鈥檚 historic slogan 鈥渢he French first.鈥

Coquard鈥檚 analysis sheds light on the perennial dilemma鈥攏ot limited to French politics鈥攐f whether it is possible for the left to win back the rural working classes. His account suggests that the problem goes deeper than policy positions and party platforms.