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. 2022 Apr 23:10.1111/spsr.12516.
doi: 10.1111/spsr.12516. Online ahead of print.

Right-Wing Populist Parties' Bordering Narratives in Times of Crisis: Anti-Immigration Discourse in the Genevan Borderland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Grégoire Yerly  1
Affiliations

Right-Wing Populist Parties' Bordering Narratives in Times of Crisis: Anti-Immigration Discourse in the Genevan Borderland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Grégoire Yerly. Schweiz Z Polit. .

Abstract
in English, German, French, Italian

Right-wing populist parties (RWPPs) view immigration as a threat to national identity and cultural and political cohesion. This paper explores the discourse on immigration of two such parties during a systemic crisis (the COVID-19 pandemic) in a borderland area that entails a specific "symbolization" of the border as a result of geographic proximity. What kind of bordering narratives occur in this context, and how do they evolve? To answer these questions, the major RWPPs operating in the Geneva region were studied: the Genevan Swiss People's Party and the Geneva Citizens' Movement. Through a critical discourse analysis, a total of 181 documents published between 1 January and 31 August 2020 were analyzed, including the parties' official Facebook posts, press releases, and newspaper articles. Results show that the context of the pandemic favored the emergence of a strong re-bordering narrative.

Rechtspopulistische Parteien sehen in der Zuwanderung eine Bedrohung für die nationale Identität sowie den kulturellen und politischen Zusammenhalt. Dieser Artikel untersucht den Zuwanderungsdiskurs zweier solcher Parteien während einer systemischen Krise (der COVID‐19‐Pandemie) in einer Grenzregion, in welcher die Landesgrenze aufgrund der geografischen Nähe eine spezifische “Symbolisierung” erfährt. Welche Art von Grenznarrativen treten in diesem Kontext auf und wie verändern sie sich im Laufe der Zeit? Zur Beantwortung dieser Fragen wurden die beiden wichtigsten rechtspopulistischen Parteien in der Region Genf untersucht: die Genfer Sektion der Schweizerischen Volkspartei und die Genfer Bürgerbewegung. Mittels kritischer Diskursanalyse wurden insgesamt 181 Dokumente analysiert, welche zwischen dem 1. Januar und 31. August 2020 veröffentlicht wurden – darunter befinden sich offizielle Facebook‐Posts, Pressemitteilungen und Zeitungsartikel der Parteien. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der Pandemie‐Kontext die Entstehung eines ausgeprägten Grenzverstärkung‐Narrativs begünstigt hat.

Les partis populistes de droite considèrent l'immigration comme une menace pour l'identité nationale et la cohésion culturelle et politique d'un pays. Cet article étudie le discours sur l'immigration de deux de ces partis durant une crise systémique (celle du COVID‐19) et dans une région frontalière qui entraîne une “symbolisation” spécifique de la frontière en raison d'une proximité géographique accrue. Quels types de discours sur les frontières émergent dans ce contexte et comment évoluent‐ils au fil du temps? Deux partis de la région de Genève ont été sélectionnés pour y répondre: l'Union Démocratique du Centre de Genève et le Mouvement Citoyens Genevois. En se basant sur la critical discourse analysis, l'analyse inclut 181 articles de sources hétérogènes depuis le 1er janvier jusqu'au 31 août 2020: posts Facebook, communiqués de presse et articles de journaux. Les résultats montrent que la pandémie du COVID‐19 a favorisé l'émergence d'un discours de re‐frontiérisation radical.

I partiti populisti di destra considerano l'immigrazione come una minaccia all'identità nazionale e alla coesione culturale e politica. Questo articolo esplora il discorso sull'immigrazione di due di questi partiti durante una crisi sistemica (la pandemia di COVID‐19) in un'area di confine che, a causa della vicinanza geografica col confine, ne comporta una diversa “simbolizzazione”. Che tipo di narrazioni sul confine vengono prodotte in quello contesto e come si evolvono nel tempo? Per rispondere a queste domande sono stati studiati i due principali partiti populisti di destra della regione di Ginevra: l'Unione Democratica di Centro di Ginevra e il Movimento dei cittadini di Ginevra. Attraverso la critical discourse analysis, sono stati analizzati un totale di 181 documenti pubblicati tra il 1° gennaio e il 31 agosto 2020: post ufficiali su Facebook, comunicati stampa e articoli di giornale. I risultati mostrano che il contesto della pandemia ha favorito l'emergere di discorsi che promuovono il rafforzamento delle frontiere.

Keywords: Anti‐Immigration Discourse; Bordering Narratives; Borderland Area; COVID‐19; Right‐Wing Populism.

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