National Socialist metaphors in the discourse of the Alternative für Deutschland

Exploring a leaked WhatsApp chat

Résumé

The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is a German party on the right end of the political spectrum that exhibits strong xenophobic and nationalistic viewpoints. Their move into the German federal parliament in September 2017 as the third strongest party was a wake-up call about the influence that the party has on the public. The current study aims at uncovering one way that the AfD uses to position itself in the political sphere: the use of metaphors. An analysis of a leaked WhatsApp group chat between members of the party reveals that despite the party’s claims of being opposed to xenophobia and racism, members of the party make active use of metaphors that are very typical of these discourse traditions.