“Peaceful Revolution” Reloaded?
The AfD and the Mobilization of Alternative Eastern German Feelings
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Abstract
When considering the far-right populist party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and its success in the territories of the former GDR, existing academic approaches rarely consider the memory cultural implications and multifaceted affective underpinnings of the party's maneuvering. Aiming to fill this gap, this article develops an approach that is geared toward understanding the affective dimension of the AfD's populist messages and critically engages with Germany's hegemonic post-reunification memory culture. Subsequently, an analysis of social media material stemming from the AfD Thuringia's 2019 state election campaign under the slogan “Wende 2.0” illustrates how the party articulates a multifaceted, alternative affective subject position. Such a counter-hegemonic way of feeling Eastern German constitutes itself against the state-sponsored memory culture and the affective governance that characterize reunified Germany.
Contributor Notes
Sophie Schmalenberger is a PhD candidate in the Department of Global Studies at Aarhus University (Denmark). She holds a BA in media and communication studies (Freie Universität Berlin) and an MA in European studies (Aarhus University) and has been a visiting doctoral student at the School of Media, Communication and Sociology at the University of Leicester (UK) and at the CRC 1171 Affective Societies at Freie Universität Berlin. Her research focuses on far-right populism and extremism in Germany with a particular interest in the memory political and affective dimension of right-wing parties’ and movements’ communication and performances.