Article published In:
Journal of Language and PoliticsVol. 23:2 (2024) ► pp.176–196
Borderless fear?
How right-wing populism aligns in affectively framing migration as a security threat in Austria and Slovenia
Studies have highlighted differences between right-wing populism in Western and Central Eastern Europe but suggested that discourses have been converging since the so-called “refugee crisis” in 2015. This article examines this claim by focusing on right-wing populist frames and affective communication on migration in Austria and Slovenia. Taking a communication-centred approach, the study is based on a critical frame analysis of 70 speeches from far-right to centre-right parties in parliamentary debates on migration between 2015 and 2019. The results show that right-wing populist discourses in the two adjacent countries have aligned in appealing to affects, particularly to fear and in framing migration as a threat to security and culture. Despite differences in mobilizing affects, the findings indicate a mutual alignment of right-wing populism beyond borders, signalling a potential risk of a broader right-wing populist bloc unified by fear of migration.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Right-wing populism in Austria and Slovenia
- 3.Right-wing populist discourse and affects. Theoretical considerations
- 4.Material and method
- 5.Securitarian mobilization of right-wing populist migration frames
- 6.The affective structure of right-wing populist discourses
- 7.Conclusion
- Notes
-
Literature
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 4.0 license.
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