Convergence o anti-migration discourse and mobilization of fear

The Journal of Language and Politics published the article “Borderless fear? How right-wing populism aligns and affectively framing migration as a security threat in Austria and Slovenia”, co-signed by Daniel Thiele, Mojca Pajnik, Birgit Sauer and Iztok Šori.

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.

The article is available at: https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/jlp.22026.thi