Bonansinga, D. (2019) The securitisation of migration in populist discourse: Emotional and affective mechanisms at play. In, Talani, Leila Simona and Rosina, Matilde (eds.) Tidal Waves? The Political Economy of Populism and Migration in Europe. Peter Lang.
Abstract
Citizens have become increasingly concerned with immigration and its alleged links to different aspects of societal security; the topic has featured centrally in election campaigns across Europe and still represents the anchor of the Brexit debate. What role have populist leaders played in addressing these public concerns? Securitisation serves as a useful conceptual tool, as it refers to the construction and articulation of certain phenomena as issues of security concern. This chapter provides an examination of populism through the lenses of the securitisation theory to show how these two concepts profoundly intertwine and how populism might hold a ‘securitising potential’. Using radical right leaders, Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini as cases in point, the analysis explores the ‘populist securitisation narrative’ on migration, and show how this security discourse revolves around four main affective components: belonging, loss, blame and nostalgia. Building on the theories of political psychology, the chapter concludes with a discussion on the emotional implications of these narratives and their potential role in shaping information processing, securitisation approval and, more broadly, populist support.
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