Metaphorical framing of the European Union in the German Bundestag

According to theories of cognitive linguistics, metaphors shape our perception of reality. They are seen as essential in making sense of abstract and complex topics. Metaphors therefore play an important role for communication in general and for political communication in particular. While scholarship has already examined metaphors in political communication, most studies have focused on single, highly specific metaphors. The metaphorical framing of topics throughout entire political debates and the systematic use of language by specific actors, on the other hand, have yet to be comprehensively examined. In particular, comparative studies about the use of metaphors by different German political parties are so far lacking. We address this research gap by analyzing the metaphorical framing of Europe/the European Union by members of the German federal parliament, the Bundestag, in debates on government statements on the European Council between 2015 and 2019. Since Bundestag debates explicitly address the public and all speakers refer to the same topic, they are particularly promising starting points for the comparative analysis of various parties’ use of metaphors. This data allows us, among other things, to examine differences between government and opposition parties, left and right parties, populist and non-populist parties and pro-European and Eurosceptical parties. By focusing on the framing of Europe/the European Union, we are able to identify images of Europe in Germany. Thus, we also contribute to the study of European policy discourses in Germany.