Victorien Bornéat: Cultural democratization failure breeds exclusion

Victorien Bornéat's manifesto 'L'Exclusion culturelle. Manifeste pour une riposte populaire' argues that France's cultural democratization policy, rooted in André Malraux's vision, has failed. He cites budget cuts by Laurent Wauquiez (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, 2022) and Christelle Morançais (Pays de la Loire, 2024) as evidence of a crisis. Bornéat claims the policy's aim to make high art accessible to all has not transformed working-class cultural practices, leading to a sense of exclusion exploited by politicians. He advocates for a 'Nouveau populaire' that hybridizes high and popular culture, exemplified by Aya Nakamura's 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony performance blending R&B, French variety, and orchestral music. Bornéat criticizes the implicit codes of institutions that alienate non-initiated audiences and calls for a cultural policy centered on pleasure and daily practice. He warns against the far-right's attempt to narrow cultural horizons and urges the left to reclaim cultural ambition ahead of presidential elections. The book includes a postface by Mohamed El Khatib and is published by Éd. du Faubourg with the Fondation Jean-Jaurès.