“Migrant” and “Pedophile” As Empty Signifiers in Populist Discourse. When Reality Strikes Back.

Discourses around migration and gender are important building blocks of the populist ideology of Hungary’s right-wing government that have contributed to its success in the past decade. The presentation would analyze the discursive struggle over the terms “migrant” and “pedophile” in light of recent events. The arrival of a large number of guest workers facilitated by new legislation, on the one hand, and scandals connecting the government to pedophile crimes, on the other hand, have led to questioning and contesting the dominant discourses around both migration and gender.

Within the general framework of critical discourse analysis, a semiotic approach will be applied to study the signification process around the terms “migrant” and “pedophile” in contemporary Hungarian media discourse. I shall analyze the intertextual history and connotative meaning of the terms, and look closely at the current meaning-making process around them. Building on Laclau’s (2018) concept of empty signifiers I aim to show that while the terms can be used with great flexibility to serve various strategic purposes the alternative realities they construct can unexpectedly come under attack when certain aspects of reality suddenly achieve greater visibility.

Laclau, E. (2018) On Populist Reason. Verso