The Politics of Fear
The Shameless Normalization of Far-Right Discourse
- Ruth Wodak - Lancaster University, UK
We are now witnessing the shameless normalization of a political discourse built around nationalism, xenophobia, racism, sexism, antisemitism and Islamophobia. But what does this change mean? What caused it? And how does far-right populist discourse work?
The Politics of Fear traces the trajectory of far-right politics from the margins of the political landscape to its very centre. It explores the social and historical mechanisms at play, and expertly ties these to the “micro-politics” of far-right language and discourse.
From speeches to cartoons to social media posts, Ruth Wodak systematically analyzes the texts and images used by these groups, laying bare the strategies, rhetoric and half-truths the far-right employ. The revised second edition of this best-selling book includes:
- A range of vignettes analyzing specific instances of far-right discourse in detail.
- Expanded discussion of the “normalization” of far-right discourse.
- A new chapter exploring the challenges to liberal democracy.
- An updated glossary of far-right parties and movements.
- More discussion of the impact of social media on the rise of the far-right.
Critical, analytical and impassioned, The Politics of Fear is essential reading for anyone looking to understand how far-right and populist politics have moved into the mainstream, and what we can do about it.
Wodak’s work focuses on the ‘micro-politics’ of the far-right and ‘how they actually produce and reproduce their ideologies and exclusionary agenda in everyday politics, in the (social) media, in campaigning, in posters, slogans and speeches’. Wodak convincingly argues that all far-right parties construct scapegoats out of racialized people which ‘manifests as a politics of fear’… This approach integrates very well with the ideational approach to populism and recognises the performative and ideational dimensions of the populist far-right.
The second edition explains how these once fringe actors have become mainstreamed and normalized in contemporary society… Highly recommended for scholars and citizens looking to understand the micro-politics of the contemporary far-right and the processes that have brought them to the mainstream.
Wodak’s rich and detailed descriptions of right-wing populist rhetoric and identification of its key tropes, continuities, frames, strategies, and topoi make this book indispensable for any discourse-based approach to the topic...the depth of her engagement with far-right politicians and their utterances across national contexts and time frames is profoundly valuable.
I cannot recall any other book from the field of discourse analysis that appealed as much to me in its style.
The second edition of Politics of Fear is highly recommended for scholars and citizens looking to understand the micro-politics of the contemporary far-right and the processes that have brought them to the mainstream
Wodak’s second edition of The Politics of Fear could not have come at a better time.
With the second edition of The Politics of Fear, Wodak compellingly demonstrates the ideological foundations of far-right populism rooted in anti-genderism, racism, antisemitism and (ethno) nationalism.
Professor Wodak... uses her experience in both fields to reflect on the normalization
of far-right discourses, drawing particular attention to the threats posed by it to
liberal democracies. Although this type of discussion may naturally draw the attention of political
scientists, the language found in the book is accessible to the wider public, providing a
timely snapshot of contemporary far-right to both scholars and the wider public.
All of her claims and theses are very clearly elaborated and then backed with rich, recent empirical evidence, including not only quotes from a vast variety of literary genres but also visual sources like posters, photographs, media screenshots, and cartoons. All this is supported by a typography and layout that make it extremely easy to follow the line of argumentation and the use of detailed examples. I cannot recall any other book from the field of discourse analysis that appealed as much to me in its style.
