Udris Imhof
Fakultäten » Philosophische Fakultät » Soziologisches Institut » Prof. Dr. Kurt Imhof » Udris Imhof
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | The "Rütli celebrations" and right-wing extremist mobilisation: an analysis of public communication | ||||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||
| Original title / Originaltitel | Rütlifeiern und rechtsextremistische Mobilisierung. Analyse der öffentlichen Kommunikation | ||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | In the last few years, discussions about "Rütli celebrations" (celebration at the Rütli prairie on Switzerland's national holiday, August 1) have largely intensified. This is mainly due to the strategies of right-wing extremist actors, who have used the Rütli celebrations to stage events, and the leading media and political actors, who have scandalised these marches and given right-wing extremist actors broad resonance. The project has analysed public communication (in the form of leading media) concerning the "Rütli celebrations" and the marches of right-wing extremist actors in a diachronic perspective (1998-2006). Some of the main regularities include: It is mainly the media in interplay with right-wing extremist actors and the reactions of established political actors which dominate the extent to which the Rütli celebrations become the focus of attention. The growing attention to the celebrations can be explained by the effects of the "new structural transformation of the public sphere", where scandals (e.g. extremism) and conflicts find increasing resonance. This can be seen by a significantly higher attention of the tabloids to the marches of right-wing extremist actors. Attention to the Rütli celebrations follows a discontinuous pattern, which can be explained by the discontinuous salience of the general topic of "right-wing extremism". While the marches in 1998 and 1999 find no attention because attention to right-wing extremism generally is low, the intense reaction to the march of right-wing extremist actors in 2000 follows an established debate on the forms of extremism in Switzerland. In the context of the Rütli celebrations in the year 2006, the level of self-reflexion of the media and established political actors increases. Right-wing extremist actors in their attempt to instrumentalise the media with spectacular events and thus receive (media) attention are rather unsuccessful, as most media and political actors have ignored these strategies. |
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| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | Right-wing extremism, right-wing radicalism, new structural transformation of the public sphere, media | ||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
Foundation |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Aug 2006 to Sep 2006 |