When parties make themselves inconspicuous. A visual sociology of party affiliation through the prism of the professions of faith of a commune in the Var (1947–2020)

Based on a visual sociology of the Candidates declarations from one municipality since 1947 (17 elections, 99 candidates declarations), this article presents the way in which the « graphic apolitism » noted during the municipal elections of 2020 is not new. This work on a long period of time and a localized sample - which makes it possible to cross-reference the graphic/rhetorical dimension of the candidates declarations with the socio-political environment - shows how partisan discretion is far from being synonymous with unofficial or informal practices. It is rather part of a process of graphic redefinition of politics that has taken on significant importance since the 1990s. With the relegation or erasure of the most political markers (because they are the most politically divisive), these candidates déclarations allow us to glimpse a significant evolution of the political space and the partisan link.