Leiden University Student Repository

Kurz, Pia (2023)

Exploring Regional Divides: A Comparative Discourse Analysis of the AfD's Communication in East and West German Federal States

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

This thesis analyses regional variation in the communication of the German right-wing populist party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). A discourse analysis of party programmes and speeches for federal state election seeks to explore differences in the way issues such as national and regional identity, the EU as well as the past are framed. The results suggest that in the East German federal states that constituted the German Democratic Republic (GDR) a distinct regional identity and cultural memory are stressed and economic grievances are mobilised, which reinforces the persisting East-West divide in Germany.

Discourse analysis

Alternative für Deutschland

Germany

legacy of reunification

Populism

Author

Kurz, Pia

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

European Union Studies

Supervisors

Shaev, B.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en