The right turn in Austria: discursive strategies for creating a “new normal”

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the modern phenomenon of the growing popularity of the right-wing forces in European countries using the example of the Austrian party system. The purpose of the article is to identify the discursive mechanisms that ensure the implementation of a right turn in the political life of Austria in 2021–2023. The methodological basis of the analysis is Ruth Wodak’s concept of discourse, which allowed her to create a unique typology of discursive political strategies. Some of them were used in this study: control of the current agenda and information, control of messages, authoritarian pressure, “rude politeness”, “shameless normalization”. The focus is on the cognitive strategies for constructing a “new normal” – the strategies that legalize the right-wing radical rhetoric. The factors that ensured the right turn are considered, and a special attention is paid to the factor of the incorrectly structured communication of the ruling Austrian People’s Party, which ensured the legalization of the right-wing populists’ rhetoric as an element of the “new normal”. The discursive strategies used by Herbert Kickl in the election campaign are described. The prospects for the impact of the discourse strategies of the Austrian Freedom Party on public opinion are analyzed. An assessment is made of their effectiveness and contribution to the growth of the right-wing rating as a harbinger of victory in the 2024 parliamentary elections in Austria.