AUSTRIAN POPULIST RIGHT AND TÜRKİYE: A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS FOR FPÖ

Abstract

The rise of populist radical right parties in the last decades is one of the most significant political developments in Europe. The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) which was founded in 1956 is considered as a remarkable example in terms of using anti-immigrant and xenophobic discourses and affecting Austrian politics for more than half a century. In this article the FPÖ’s anti-Türkiye rhetoric is investigated by using discourse analysis. The Turkish community in Austria growing since the 1960s, the cultural differences and Türkiye’s EU membership discussions are the main topics used by the FPÖ to influence the public opinion. Therefore, it is aimed to reveal how and why FPÖ relates its nationalist, anti-immigrant, anti-Islam rhetoric to Türkiye and Turks. The FPÖ’s anti-Türkiye discourse is a noteworthy example of how a radical populist right-wing party targets another country, part of its own population and its cultural identity for its political pursuits.