Representations of xenophobia: A quantitative image type analysis of AfD’s visual strategy

Abstract The electoral success of the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) continues to require more scientific explanation. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the visual strategy of the AfD by exploring how the party visually expresses xenophobia in the expression of its right-wing populist ideology. Using quantitative image type analysis, the author analyzes the content and intent of 4160 images posted by the party on its Facebook account. The study identifies the visual means used to portray refugees, immigrants, and Muslims in opposition to native German people. This analysis highlights the inherent potential of images to convey xenophobia within the context of right-wing populist ideology in AfD campaigns.