Identity Construction in Populist Rhetoric : A discourse analysis on speeches made by Orbán between 2014 and 2023

Abstract: There is no secret that Hungary is one of the many countries in Europe where right wing populism have taken hold. Fidesz, the leading party, with Victor Orbán as party leader got a majority vote in 2010 and have not let up their power since. Populism, as disputed as the concept is, have certain core parts that most scholars can agree on. Amongst them is the constant division of social groups into “us” and “them”, or “the people” versus “the elite”. This thesis looks at this division through a discourse analysis of Orbán’s speeches between the years of 2014 and 2023. The purpose is to understand the creation of these identities in populist discourse in Hungary. This thesis asks the question what the consequences are for these identity creations and if the polarization produced by populist rhetoric have a negative impact on democracy. The blatant neglect of pluralism and inclusivity that populist rhetoric displays lead to people being locked out of “the general will” and as such their voices are not seen as important. Moreover, because of the moralistic basis on which subjects’ identities are created, people that does not fit into the populistic definition of “the people” are instead demonized. Something that also shows itself in policy implementation.