Ruth Wodak: Swing to the right?!

Is Right-wing Populist Discourse Becoming the New Norm? – W. Michael Blumenthal Lecture (video recording available, in German)

When the marker of what it is acceptable to say is moved, acceptance of nationalistic, racist, and Antisemitic content grows. Ruth Wodak, linguist and co-founder of Critical Discourse Analysis, has been researching the effects of right-wing populist rhetoric for years.

Her talk traces how the new “normality to the right” is establishing itself in many European countries, where right-wing populist parties are edging increasingly from society’s periphery to its center.

recording available

Map with all buildings that belong to the Jewish Museum Berlin. The Old Building is marked in green

Where

Old Building, ground level, Glass Courtyard
Lindenstraße 9–14, 10969 Berlin

Where, when, what?

Woman speaking at the lectern. — Recording of the lecture Swing to the right?! Is Right-wing Populist Discourse Becoming the New Norm? by Ruth Wodak, 17 October 2019, in German; Jewish Museum Berlin 2019

This applies above all to the perception that minorities and migrants are threatening European identity. How can the consequences of this development be assessed? And how can it be opposed?

Ruth Wodak is professor emeritus of discourse research (Lancaster University) and applied linguistics (University of Vienna). Her research interests range from identity and past politics to prejudice research and right-wing populism. In 2016, her book The Politics of Fear. What Right-Wing Populist Discourses Mean was published, which won the Austrian Science Book of the Year Award in the Humanities, Social and Cultural Sciences category in 2017.

The event will be moderated by Yasemin Shooman of the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM).

W. Michael Blumenthal Lectures

In the W. Michael Blumenthal Lectures, named for the founding director of the Jewish Museum Berlin, internationally prominent scholars discuss current social issues.