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Love thy European Neighbour – but not for long? The Framing of Ukrainian Immigration Among German Mainstream Right and Far Right Parties

Gallacher Roig, Calam LU (2024) STVM23 20241
Department of Political Science
Abstract
2024 marks the second anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war
has resulted in large numbers of Ukrainian refugees entering EU member states, including
Germany. As far-right parties are on the rise across Europe, the topic of immigration is high
on the political agenda again. Mainstream right and far right parties are competing for the
discursive upper hand on the topic, but how do they deal with this new, different situation?
Mainstream parties have modified their positions on immigration in general, moving closer to
their radical right neighbours. Does this shift in framing also apply to Ukrainian immigration?
This thesis investigates the issue in the German political landscape, focusing on the... (More)
2024 marks the second anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war
has resulted in large numbers of Ukrainian refugees entering EU member states, including
Germany. As far-right parties are on the rise across Europe, the topic of immigration is high
on the political agenda again. Mainstream right and far right parties are competing for the
discursive upper hand on the topic, but how do they deal with this new, different situation?
Mainstream parties have modified their positions on immigration in general, moving closer to
their radical right neighbours. Does this shift in framing also apply to Ukrainian immigration?
This thesis investigates the issue in the German political landscape, focusing on the Christlich
Demokratische Union (CDU), the Christlich Soziale Union (CSU), and the Alternative für
Deutschland (AfD). Its research question is thus: How has the CDU/CSU’s framing of
Ukrainian immigration been influenced by that of the AfD? The theoretical framework
combines strategic theory on niche party success and interaction type theory to inform the
hypotheses used to answer this question. A qualitative content analysis of the parties’ framing
on their official YouTube channels is used to test three possible strategies: accommodative
cooptation; adversarial confrontation; and dismissive demarcation. The findings confirm that
Ukrainian immigration is a deviant case and indicate that the CDU/CSU’s framing has been
influenced by the AfD. The results suggest a combination of nuanced cooptation and
moderate confrontation by the MRP. For most of the studied period, there is no support for
the dismissive strategy of demarcation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Gallacher Roig, Calam LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVM23 20241
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Ukraine, Germany, immigration, framing, right-wing
language
English
id
9152405
date added to LUP
2024-07-18 13:55:44
date last changed
2024-07-18 13:55:44
@misc{9152405,
  abstract     = {{2024 marks the second anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war 
has resulted in large numbers of Ukrainian refugees entering EU member states, including 
Germany. As far-right parties are on the rise across Europe, the topic of immigration is high 
on the political agenda again. Mainstream right and far right parties are competing for the 
discursive upper hand on the topic, but how do they deal with this new, different situation? 
Mainstream parties have modified their positions on immigration in general, moving closer to 
their radical right neighbours. Does this shift in framing also apply to Ukrainian immigration? 
This thesis investigates the issue in the German political landscape, focusing on the Christlich 
Demokratische Union (CDU), the Christlich Soziale Union (CSU), and the Alternative für 
Deutschland (AfD). Its research question is thus: How has the CDU/CSU’s framing of 
Ukrainian immigration been influenced by that of the AfD? The theoretical framework 
combines strategic theory on niche party success and interaction type theory to inform the 
hypotheses used to answer this question. A qualitative content analysis of the parties’ framing 
on their official YouTube channels is used to test three possible strategies: accommodative 
cooptation; adversarial confrontation; and dismissive demarcation. The findings confirm that 
Ukrainian immigration is a deviant case and indicate that the CDU/CSU’s framing has been 
influenced by the AfD. The results suggest a combination of nuanced cooptation and 
moderate confrontation by the MRP. For most of the studied period, there is no support for 
the dismissive strategy of demarcation.}},
  author       = {{Gallacher Roig, Calam}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Love thy European Neighbour – but not for long? The Framing of Ukrainian Immigration Among German Mainstream Right and Far Right Parties}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}