This thesis investigates the use of religion in the speeches and appearances of Jair Bolsonaro during his tenure as president of Brazil in order to appeal to evangelical voters. This research has...Show moreThis thesis investigates the use of religion in the speeches and appearances of Jair Bolsonaro during his tenure as president of Brazil in order to appeal to evangelical voters. This research has found that, during his tenure, Bolsonaro used religion in order to establish an us-versus-them binary within Brazilian society. Additionally, this research found that Bolsonaro used this binary to defend and propagate Christian family values and to construct and perpetuate an image of himself being Brazil’s modern savior.Show less
Since 2009, northeastern states in Nigeria have been heavily plagued by the insurgency group Boko Haram. Additionally, an upsurge in recruitment and radicalization among Nigerian youth can be...Show moreSince 2009, northeastern states in Nigeria have been heavily plagued by the insurgency group Boko Haram. Additionally, an upsurge in recruitment and radicalization among Nigerian youth can be observed. Subsequently, fear and distrust in youth among communities arise, where young Nigerians are perceived as inherently dangerous, feared to be involved with Boko Haram. The emergence this stereotype has profound implications for the position of youth in society and prompts questions regarding the factors that contribute to the perpetuation of this stereotype. Therefore, this research aims to explore how youth in northeast Nigeria are portrayed through public and policy discourse, especially in regards to Boko Haram. Employing Critical Discourse Analysis as the methodological framework, this research critically scrutinizesif the Nigerian media, politicians and policymakers depict youth as a threat to society. Findings of the discourse analysis reveal a prevailing negative rhetoric surrounding youth in northeast Nigeria. They are presented as a demographic who are often unemployed and excluded from society. Additionally, young Nigerians are consistently associated with recruitment, radicalization, crimes and involvement in violent extremist groups such as Boko Haram. All these components appear interconnected, revealing a vicious cycle of stigmatization and violence. Drawing upon securitization theory, this research concludes that media, policymakers and politicians wield their influence to portray youth as a threatening actor to society, contributing to the perpetuation of a detrimental narrative that further fuels stigmatization and marginalization of youth in northeast Nigeria.Show less
The prevalence of right-wing extremism (RWE) in the United States and Europe has risen in recent decades with the aid of online spaces. Online or “virtual communities” continue to attract...Show moreThe prevalence of right-wing extremism (RWE) in the United States and Europe has risen in recent decades with the aid of online spaces. Online or “virtual communities” continue to attract individuals from around the world by providing an environment where otherwise disconnected peoples may form a community. This paper looks at the white nationalist aspect of RWE which places an emphasis on racial categorization and nationalism as its ideological foundations. On the white nationalist forum Stormfront.org a thriving international community has formed in what initially appears to be contrary to the nationalistic and culturally homogentisic inclinations of white nationalism. This research asks how the Stormfront community’s discourse incorporates international members into the WN movement. Through a poststructuralist discourse analysis this paper finds that unifying racial perspective legitimizing the construction of a white identity frames locally perceived issues as part of global and increasingly existential threats. This paper emphasizes the impacts of globalization on white nationalist perspectives as they adapt their movement to a globalized environment. The parallelization theory of globalization is implemented to explain the parallel and often contradictory perspectives maintained by the community.Show less
Far-right has been a traditional debate and conflicting phenomenon since 1945. In this thesis I aim to demonstrate the changes that far-right discourse has undergone during the fourth-wave of far...Show moreFar-right has been a traditional debate and conflicting phenomenon since 1945. In this thesis I aim to demonstrate the changes that far-right discourse has undergone during the fourth-wave of far-right. In this analysis we use as a starting point, ‘the winning formula’ of Kitschelt that mainly indicates how the far-right tends to adopt the economical aspect in their discourse, especially in times of great social despair. In order to demonstrate this change, we are examining in this paper the following cases: the case of Golden Dawn, National Front and UKIP. In these cases, we are examining the political discourse of the parties, the relationship between the discourse and a crisis, to what extent the far-right is a danger to the present political system and lastly, their eurosceptical aspect. By answering these questions, and by proving the strong presence of economy within the far-right’s discourse, we aim to highlight the changes that the far-right has undergone, and how these changes are a path to normalization.Show less
