Constructing the Enemy : A Qualitative Content Analysis of the AfD's Rhetoric on Immigration

This thesis, employing qualitative content analysis aims to achieve greater insights into the rhetoric of the Alternative für Deutschland, regarding immigrants and refugees at three different points in time (2015, 2017/2018, 2020/2022) and if this rhetoric can be understood as the creating of enemy images. Six speeches held by prominent AfD members have been chosen through purposive sampling. The research design is a longitudinal, interpretative, and comparative single case study. Its findings demonstrate a clear case of enemy image construction by analysing the dominant frames that emerged through a theory-grounded coding approach. Additionally, based on the frame analysis, certain features of a radicalisation within the discourse have been identified, though predominantly, a strategic evolution in framing over time was observable, therefore showing some intensification, refinement, and internal tension between radical and more moderate fractions within the party. Due to these inconsistencies within the party and the contextual considerations in the case of the AfD, future research and continuous observation is considered worthwhile to stay up to date on the AfD’s extreme case of framing the threatening “other”.