‘United through our values’? Expressing unity through value-talk after terrorism in France and Norway

The author analyzes 'value-talk'—the use of references to 'our values' to formulate 'we', 'us', and 'them'—following terror attacks in France and Norway. By examining national TV news from the first week after the events, the study argues that values are not static traits dividing cultural groups, but are dynamic tools used to mobilize unity (we-hood) and dissociate the national community from terrorists (us-hood). The findings suggest that while both countries used value-talk to foster cohesion, the results differed: Norway experienced a more consensus-oriented, depoliticized narrative, whereas France's efforts were more fragmented and marked by ongoing conflict regarding the loyalty of Muslim populations to the Republic.

• National leaders in both France and Norway used 'value-talk' to establish a link between national history and the present crisis, framing values as a source of unity against terrorists. President Hollande positioned French values as both international and grounded in the Republic, while Prime Minister Stoltenberg emphasized a small country's resilience and commitment to democracy and humanity.
• Unity was expressed not only through explicit speech but also through implicit 'value-talk' via national symbols and gathering sites. In France, the Place de la République and the statue of Marianne symbolized republican values, while in Norway, the 'ocean of flowers' at Oslo Domkirke and the 'rosetog' procession reflected community and shared values.
• Value-talk serves as a mechanism for 'us-hood', allowing the national community to dissociate itself from the perpetrators. In France, this involved Muslims and Imams explicitly linking Islam to human rights and the Republic to distance themselves from the 'Islamic State'. In Norway, the perpetrator's Christian faith led to a narrative that 'terrorism has no religion', effectively casting the attacker as an 'un-Norwegian' anomaly.
• The mobilization of unity through value-talk was more cohesive and consensus-oriented in Norway than in France. In Norway, the shared narrative led to a depoliticization of the attacks, whereas in France, value-talk often highlighted existing conflicts and questions regarding the loyalty of the Muslim population to the state.
• The author argues against the predominant scholarly view that values are static, core traits that divide cultural groups. Instead, the study proposes that value-talk represents a 'dynamic and flexible groupness' that is context-dependent and used to communicate internal cohesion and external distinction.

APA

Peace Research Institute Oslo (n.d.). ‘United through our values’? Expressing unity through value-talk after terrorism in France and Norway. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2c27563a-23ab-4376-b5f1-5b7ab9268f15/United through our values Expressing unity through value-talk after terrorism in France and Norway.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Peace Research Institute Oslo. ‘United through our values’? Expressing unity through value-talk after terrorism in France and Norway. n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2c27563a-23ab-4376-b5f1-5b7ab9268f15/United through our values Expressing unity through value-talk after terrorism in France and Norway.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Peace Research Institute Oslo |title=‘United through our values’? Expressing unity through value-talk after terrorism in France and Norway |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2c27563a-23ab-4376-b5f1-5b7ab9268f15/United through our values Expressing unity through value-talk after terrorism in France and Norway.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{peaceresearchinstituteoslondunited, author = {{Peace Research Institute Oslo}}, title = {{‘United through our values’? Expressing unity through value-talk after terrorism in France and Norway}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2c27563a-23ab-4376-b5f1-5b7ab9268f15/United through our values Expressing unity through value-talk after terrorism in France and Norway.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }