The Politics of Fear

The first edition of The Politics of Fear was an important book but this revised edition is even more important. Ruth Wodak shows how shamelessly successful right-wing populism has become, as it takes ideas from the far right and makes them appear as the new normal. Wodak analyses this dangerous, divisive politics with sustained brilliance. -- Michael Billig In a masterful synthesis, Ruth Wodak combines argumentation theory, rhetorical and discourse-historical analysis to the resurgent discourses of right-wing populism, racism, sexism and xenophobia in Europe and the US. A highly topical insight into and inditement of the politics of fear and exclusionism. -- Andreas Musolff An ambitious and unflinching scholarly analysis of the discursive world of right-wing populist movements in Europe. At a time when such movements have rapidly and dramatically shifted from the periphery to the parliament, Wodak's clear-eyed analysis has never been more urgent or important. Understanding the symbols, myths and languages deployed by such movements is key to interpreting their widespread popularity and their narrow, and often hostile, vision of Europe's future. -- Associate Professor Benjamin Isakhan The Politics of Fear is sadly more timely than ever. Ruth Wodak's critical analysis provides clear insights as to why and how in a world that benefits from the free flow of goods, ideas and people, exclusionary nationalism and populism are gaining ground. -- Professor Anna Triandafyllidou Given international developments, the new edition of this classic study of the discourses of the extreme right is more relevant even than the first edition, in which Ruth Wodak continues a long and eminent trajectory of research on racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and patriarchy. This specific book is especially timely because it describes and explains in great detail the discursive and social mechanisms of the growing influence of extremist right-wing ideologies, policies and politics in Europe. This is Critical Discourse Analysis at its best. -- Teun A. van Dijk Through sharp and lucid analysis based on a wealth of examples and case studies, the second edition of Ruth Wodak's masterly The Politics of Fear provides readers from all backgrounds with the essential tools to fully grasp the threat the far right poses and the role the mainstream has played in its rise. -- Dr Aurelien Mondon A masterwork. Ruth Wodak analyses and explains how far-right populist parties use fear in their political discourses and provides a template for future studies of far-right populism. -- Professor Cas Mudde