The Politics of Fear: The Shameless Normalization of Far-Right Discourse

by Ruth Wodak

Far-right populist politics have arrived in the mainstream. 

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 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. 

Genres: Politics, Far Right

360 pages, Paperback

Published January 21, 2021

Reviews

[Rosalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sehr, sehr interessant, aber auch sehr anspruchsvoll. Habe es nicht fertig gelesen, weil ich es auch nicht mehr für die Uni brauchte ✌🏼

[Adam Terenyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth Wodak explores various aspects of the rhetoric used by populists across the world, using both her own and other academics' case studies, research, and conclusions to construct both a compelling visualization of the process of speech normalization and an even better handbook for studying the (right wing) populist mode of politics. Used this as the hallmark for my research on Hungarian populism.