Book Review of Ruth Wodak, The Politics of Fear (London: Sage, 2015),

What is it about?

In The Politics of Fear, Wodak analyses recent developments in respect to racism, the rise of populist right-wing parties and immigration policies across Europe from a discourse-historical perspective. She explains why such right-wing populist parties and their slogans are quite successful. Wodak attempts to trace, understand and explain the trajectories of populist right-wing parties from the margins of the political landscape to the centre (p. x). She elucidates the significant differences between Western and Eastern European rhetoric and explains the elements of right‐wing populism which include division into “good” and “bad” people, shifting blame by scape‐goating, offending political opponents (ad hominem argument), legitimizing politics of exclusion, talking for “the people” (ad populum argument), dramatization and emotionalisation, insistent repetition, exaggeration, and promise of salvation and liberation. Characteristics of right‐wing populist ideologies include strong leadership, opposing “those up there”, chauvinism, revisionism, nativism, anti‐intellectualism, de‐historization and homeland rhetoric (restrictive ethno‐pluralist worldview).

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Why is it important?

Ruth Wodak has devoted much of her life to the study of political extremism in Europe. She is one of the foremost scholars in the field of linguistics and politics, a prolific writer whose scholarship gained her international reputation in academic circles and beyond (part of her scholarship is noted in the references below). Thus a new book from Professor Wodak should be of interest to all who are seeking to understand the threat of political extremism in Europe today.

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