The following text will mainly concentrate on the concept of enemy image. In the Oxford Dictionary the word enemy is defined like this: An enemy is „a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something“. Indeed, hostility and opposition play an extremely important role not only in our everyday individual life, but of course also in political relations – national and international – and social relationships. We a confronted with news about hostility and enemies every day by our newspaper, television, radio and the Internet because the phenomenon of enmity is present all over the world and can be seen as an ineradicable characteristic trait of humanity.
The paper will firstly analyse the concept enemy image by consulting different authors and academic text concentrating on the question: How can we define an enemy image? Afterwards it will discuss, if one can recognize a certain similarity in the way political actors create an enemy image by the question: Which patterns tend to reoccur when enemy images are produced? Finally, the consequences of enemy images when they are accepted in society play a role. When we go back in history, we can find uncountable examples of enmities which had war, violence and suffering as consequence: Religious groups like Christians fought against Muslims in several crusades, whole nations have become hereditary enemies such as Germany and France after 1800 or several nations formed alliances to combat one big enemy like Hitler and his Nazi Germany during World War II. The next part of the essay will focus on an empirical example, namely the extreme right-wing party in Germany, the Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (the National Democratic Party). It will elaborate on how they deliver their views upon immigration, non-Germans and Germany itself by analysing their homepage (npd.de) in order to discover how they treat the concept of enemy image in their political program and try to find out in how far their adoption of enemy images fit into the results worked out the chapter before. I chose that party as my empirical example, because for me as a German, it is very interesting to see how the Nationalists try to justify their anti-democratic, non-multicultural and nationalist ideas by creating enemy images in order to gain voters and popularity amongst the population. [...]
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
2. ENEMY IMAGES
3. THE NPD AND THEIR ENEMY IMAGES
4. CONCLUSION
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the socio-psychological and political construction of enemy images, focusing on how such concepts are utilized by political actors to establish identity and justify exclusion. The primary research question explores how the German right-wing party NPD constructs enemy images of immigrants to gain political influence and mobilize the population.
- The theoretical definition and psychological foundation of enemy images.
- Propaganda strategies and the dehumanization of out-groups.
- Case study of the NPD's rhetoric regarding migrants and national identity.
- The role of media and political discourse in perpetuating social division.
- Consequences of stereotyping and the exclusion of minorities in society.
Excerpt from the Book
3. The NPD and their enemy images
In the following paragraph enemy images will be analysed with regards to the German right-wing party NPD. It shall be examined which enemy images the party creates and how they formulate them and deliver them to the public. Firstly, the party, its history and their goals shall be shortly presented.
The NPD was founded in Hannover in 1964. In the first time of their existence, it could gain some representative seats in several state parliaments, but after the first period it could not maintain this success and developed to a very unimportant and small party. After the German reunification it succeeded to become more popular, but mainly in the economically weak and socially deprived areas of former East Germany. Today they are represented in only two state parliaments, but one can say that the popularity of the party is slightly increasing. The party chairman is Holger Apfel and the party has around 6000 members. In their political program a nationalistic ideology is deeply rooted which resembles the one of Hitler's Nazi-Germany.
As a party who wants to be taken seriously, the NPD, of course, cannot state explicitly that they want to fight violently against their enemy image, migrants and non-Germans who live in Germany; also because it would mean that they would be immediately forbidden. But to understand this kind of enemy image one has to look at who belongs to that kind of enemy image and as hat it is defined because they do not mark it explicitly as an enemy image.
Summary of Chapters
1 INTRODUCTION: This chapter introduces the core concept of the "enemy image" and outlines the paper's aim to analyze its construction in political discourse, specifically regarding the German NPD.
2. ENEMY IMAGES: This section explores the theoretical and psychological frameworks behind the formation of in-groups and out-groups, detailing various propaganda strategies used to manipulate public perception.
3. THE NPD AND THEIR ENEMY IMAGES: An empirical analysis of the NPD’s political program, examining how they define "German" identity and portray migrants as a threat to justify exclusionary policies.
4. CONCLUSION: The author summarizes the findings, reiterating that enemy images are socially constructed through stereotypes and propaganda, while emphasizing the potential dangers these narratives pose to society.
Keywords
Enemy image, NPD, Right-wing extremism, Propaganda, In-group, Out-group, Dehumanization, Immigration, Nationalism, Stereotypes, Identity politics, Xenophobia, Political discourse, Social exclusion, Germany
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the concept of the "enemy image" and how it functions as a tool for political actors to create social division and define national identity.
What are the central thematic areas covered in this work?
The work covers social psychology regarding enmity, political propaganda strategies, the history and ideology of the NPD, and the societal consequences of xenophobic rhetoric.
What is the primary research question?
The study asks how the German right-wing party NPD constructs enemy images of immigrants to justify their political ideas and garner support among the electorate.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author utilizes a qualitative analytical approach, consulting academic literature on the psychology of enmity and performing an empirical analysis of the NPD’s official website and political program.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body examines the definition of "the Other," psychological foundations of building enmities, specific propaganda techniques like dehumanization, and a detailed breakdown of the NPD's anti-immigrant arguments.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include enemy image, NPD, propaganda, in-group/out-group dynamics, nationalism, and social exclusion.
How does the NPD specifically justify its stance against immigrants?
The party argues that "Germanness" is based on genealogy and genetic heritage, claiming that a multicultural society leads to the destruction of the indigenous population and instability, which they frame as a defensive necessity.
What is the author's conclusion regarding the necessity of enemy images?
The author concludes that enemy images are not an inherent necessity for human survival and expresses a strong belief that humans are capable of peaceful coexistence without resorting to such divisive mental constructs.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Dennis Schmidt (Autor:in), 2013, Enemy Images. Analysis of the German right-wing party NPD, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/295915
