Constructing boundaries without being seen: the case of Jorg Haider, Politician

This paper considers right wing populist rhetoric, both from the perspective of Critical Discourse Analysis, and from a Systemic Functional point of view. We believe that the shifting and fluid construction of “us” and “them,” the implicit and explicit creation of boundaries and the use of certain argumentative topoi are important characteristics for the success of such populist rhetoric. Our analysis points to the importance of the application of different linguistic/syntactic and sociolinguistic/discourse-analytical methodologies when analyzing political discourses. Such research becomes relevant because the explicit deconstruction of populist rhetoric allows for the comprehension of on-going socio-political developments in Europe specifically, but also elsewhere.