Cover not available

Article published In: Journal of Language and Politics
Vol. 20:3 (2021) ► pp.430–450

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
authorization required

The language of exclusion

A critical comparison of new-right arguments against Islam

ORCiD logo with link | University of Sydney
Published online: 10 November 2020
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.19071.tal
Abstract
It has been argued that far-right populist parties (FRPP) distinguish themselves from other parties on the right of the political spectrum through their strong association with nationalism, anti-elitism, authoritarianism and historical mythologizing. These features typically manifest in discourse that attempts to justify exclusionist immigration and asylum policies by presenting Islam as an existential threat to predominantly white societies. This paper seeks to establish whether a conservative party that has never been considered populist could possess the same features as an FRPP by comparing three selected discursive texts – one from mainstream conservative party leader John Howard and two from prominent European FRPP leaders. The analysis revealed that the key difference between the three leaders was Howard’s failure to satisfy the authoritarianism criterion, which was interpreted as a decisive factor in his party’s moderate guise. This suggests that some mainstream parties may be more ideologically extremist than they are perceived to be.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical background
  • 3.Justification of text selection
  • 4.Methodology
  • 5.Discourse analysis
    • 5.1John Howard (25/01/2006) “A sense of balance: The Australian Achievement in 2006”
    • 5.2Marine Le Pen (01/05/2015) national labour day address
    • 5.3Geert Wilders (15/01/2015) speech during national debate on Paris attacks
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Reference list
References (41)
Reference list
Alduy, Cecile and Stéphane Wahnich. 2015. Marine Le Pen Prise aux Mots. Décryptage du Nouveau Discours Frontiste. Paris: Seuil.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Boukala, Salomi. 2020. “The End of EU-topia and the Politics of Hate: Totalitarianism and the Mainstreaming of Far-Right Discourse in the Greek Political Scene.” In Europe at the Crossroads: Confronting Populist, Nationalist, and Global Challenges, edited by Pieter Bevelander and Ruth Wodak, 135–158. Nordic Academic Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Brett, Judith. 2007. “Exit Right: The Unravelling of John Howard.” Quarterly Essay 281: 1–96.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Caron, Jean-François. 2013. “Understanding and interpreting France’s National Identity: The Meanings of Being French.” National Identities 15(3): 223–237. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chira, Susan. 2017. “Marine Le Pen’s Canny Use of Gender in Her Campaign.” New York Times, May 4, 2017. [URL]
Chisari, Maria. 2012. “The History and Values of Australian Citizenship Testing.” In New Voices, New Visions: Challenging Australian Identities and Legacies, edited by Catriona Elder, and Keith Moore, 137–151. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Eyerman, Ron. 2011. “The End of Tolerance: The Murders of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh.” In The Cultural Sociology of Political Assassination. Cultural Sociology, edited by Ron Eyerman, 111–144. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fairclough, Norman. 1995. Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language. London: Longman.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fozdar, Farida, Brian Spittles, and Lisa Hartley. 2015. “Australia Day, Flags on Cars and Australian Nationalism.” Journal of Sociology 51(2): 317–336. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Freeden, Michael. 2003. Ideology: A very short introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Howard, John. 2006. “Address to the National Press Club Great Hall.” PM Transcripts. [URL]
Krzyżanowski, Michał. 2014. “Values, imaginaries, and templates of journalistic practice: A Critical Discourse Analysis.” Social Semiotics 24(3): 345–365. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2018. “‘We Are a Small Country That Has Done Enormously Lot’: The ‘Refugee Crisis’ and the Hybrid Discourse of Politicizing Immigration in Sweden.” Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies 16(1–2): 97–117. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2018a. “Discursive Shifts in Ethno-Nationalist Politics: On Politicization and Mediatization of the ‘Refugee Crisis’ in Poland.” Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies 16(1–2): 76–96. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Krzyżanowski, Michał, and Per Ledin. 2017. “Uncivility on the Web: Populism in/and the Borderline Discourses of Exclusion.” Journal of Language & Politics 16(4): 556–581. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Le Pen, Marine. 2015. “Discours de Marine Le Pen (Vendredi 1er mai 2015).” Rassemblement National. [URL]
Mondon, Aurelien, and Aaron Winter. 2019. “Mapping and Mainstreaming Islamophobia: Between the illiberal and liberal.” In The Routledge International Handbook of Islamophobia, edited by Irene Zempi, and Imran Awan, 58–70. Abingdon: Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
National Press Club of Australia. n.d. “Speakers.” Accessed May 2 2019. [URL]
Mellor, David, Di Bretherton, and Lucy Firth. 2007. “Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Australia: The Dilemma of Apologies, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation.” Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology 13(1): 11–36. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mudde, Cas. 2007. The Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2019. “The Far Right May Not Have Cleaned Up, but its Influence Now Dominates Europe.” The Guardian, May 28, 2019. [URL]
Mudde, Cas, and Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser. 2018. “Studying Populism in Comparative Perspective: Reflections on the Contemporary and Future Research Agenda.” Comparative Political Studies 51(13): 1667–1693. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Partij Voor de Vrijheid. 2017. “Verkiezingsprogramma PVV 2017 – 2021.” Accessed May 2 2019. [URL]
Pels, Dick. 2005. Een Zwak voor Nederland: Ideeën voor een Nieuwe Politiek. Amsterdam: Anthos.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Phillips, Janet. 2012. “The ‘Pacific Solution’ Revisited: A Statistical Guide to the Asylum Seeker Caseloads on Nauru and Manus Island.” Australian Department of Parliamentary Services Report.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Polakow-Suransky, Sasha. 2017. “How Europe’s Far Right Fell in Love with Australia’s Immigration Policy.” The Guardian, October 12 2017. [URL]
Rassemblement National (2017). “144 Engagements Présidentiels: Election Présidentielle.” Accessed May 2 2019. [URL]
Reisigl, Martin, and Ruth Wodak. 2001. Discourse and Discrimination: Rhetorics of Racism and Antisemitism. London and New York: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rheindorf, Markus, and Ruth Wodak. 2018. “Borders, Fences and Limits – Protecting Austria from Refugees: Metadiscursive Negotiation of Meaning in the Current Refugee Crisis.” Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies 16(1–2): 15–38. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rovira Kaltwasser, Cristóbal, Paul Taggart, Paulina Ochoa Espejo, and Pierre Ostiguy. 2017. The Oxford Handbook of Populism. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rydgren, Jens. 2017. “The Radical Right: An Introduction.” In The Oxford Handbook of the Radical Right, edited by Jens Rydgren, 1–14. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Talay, Louis. 2019. “How Thierry Baudet Stole Geert Wilders’ Votes: A Discourse Historical Analysis of Baudet’s 2019 Provincial Elections Victory Speech.” Australian and New Zealand Journal of European Studies 11(2): 45–59.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Traufetter, Gerald. 2008. “Islam Critic Wilders: A Missionary with Dark Visions.” Spiegel International, March 27 2008. [URL]
UNHCR. n.d. Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. The UN Refugee Agency.
Van Leeuwen, Theo. 2007. “Legitimation in Discourse and Communication.” Discourse & Communication 1(1): 91–112. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Versteeg, Peter. 2012. “The discovery of Dutch Identity: A Critical Exploration.” Dutch Reformed Theological Journal 53(2): 59–66. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wilders, Geert. 2012. “Speech van Geert Wilders in Malmö.” PVV. [URL]
. 2013. “Spreektekst Geert Wilders, Melbourne, Australië, Dinsdag 19 Februari 2013.” PVV. [URL]
. 2015. “Geschreven Tekst Geert Wilders bij Debat over Aanslag Parijs.” PVV. [URL]
Wodak, Ruth. 2015. The Politics of Fear. London: Sage.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2020. “Analysing the Micropolitics of the Populist Far Right in the ‘Post Shame’ Era.” In Europe at the Crossroads: Confronting Populist, Nationalist, and Global Challenges, edited by Pieter Bevelander, and Ruth Wodak, 63–92. Nordic Academic Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue