Vampire Nationalism: The Political Discourse of Blood Purity Anxieties in Fin-de-Siècle France

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History (MA)

Nieuwland, Sandra (2025)

Vampire Nationalism: The Political Discourse of Blood Purity Anxieties in Fin-de-Siècle France

Master thesis | History (MA)

This thesis explores the use of vampire discourse in fin-de-siècle France as a lens through which to understand broader currents of French nationalism. The vampire, originally a literary figure, became a powerful political metaphor, embodying fears of the foreigner and symbolising deeper societal anxieties. In the second half of the nineteenth century, degenerate vampire metaphors became increasingly prevalent, with politicians and intellectuals using them to make sense of France's growing identity crisis. Unlike its neighbours, who often represented the vampire as an internal threat, France developed a distinct perspective, blaming its national decline on external forces. This study examines how this distinct approach shaped French nationalism, reinforcing a discourse of external threats and influencing the nation's self-perception during a period of profound political and social change.