Discourse Networks and Discursive Opportunities of the Far-Right

How are far-right actors embedded in discourse networks and how do they influence political contestation? Previous research shows that far-right actors are central actors in political conflicts in Western Europe, partly due to their dominance on contested issues such as migration. Within political conflicts, influence largely depends on actors’ political networks. Yet, we still lack an understanding of networks of far-right actors in public debates, and how they interact within these networks and across issues and critical events. To this end, we investigate the evolution and structure of discourse networks of far-right actors, their linkages with political elites, and the diffusion of their claims on issues of nationalism, Islam, and migration. We apply a multimethod approach to investigate actor-actor and actor-issue relations. First, combining multimodal network analysis with automated text analysis, we analyze networks of far-right actors in mass media (different newspapers) in Germany since 1990 in order to understand long-term dynamics. Second, based on relational content analysis, we focus on social media platforms of far-right actors and study contentious episodes after critical moments since 2016 to further understand their ideological linkages and relationship to issues of nationalism, Islam, and migration. This relational approach allows us to identify how far right actors are connected and able to speak, introduce, amplify, and maintain issues and shape public contestation not only at critical moments but also in the long-term. This demonstrates how political networks and discursive opportunities of far-right actors have changed and influenced political contestation over time.