The crisis as political language of the European far right

Abstract

This article offers a comparative analysis of crisis rhetoric in the party programs of five European far-right parties: Alternative für Deutschland (Germany), Rassemblement National (France), Vlaams Belang (Belgium), Partij voor de Vrijheid (Netherlands), and Lega per Salvini Premier (Italy). The study adopts a comparative qualitative approach, guided by the interpretive analysis of political discourse, and seeks to understand how the notion of crisis is mobilized as an instrument of symbolic and moral power. It argues that crisis, in these contexts, is not merely a description of reality but a narrative structure that organizes affects, legitimizes authority, and defines the boundaries of national identity. The analysis shows that the parties examined articulate sovereignty, identity, morality and fear as the basis of a shared political grammar in response to globalization and multiculturalism. This discursive configuration transforms insecurity into belonging and presents restoration as a response to contemporary uncertainty.

Keywords: Far Right; Populism; Political Discourse; Crisis; Europe.