Euroscepticism - The Eurosceptic Public Discourse in Austria

Euroscepticism is a diffuse and diverse phenomenon, which is compatible with any ideological position. The opposite, a so-called “we-feeling” of a European identity, is strongly connected with the conducting of a public discourse about European identity. The place where public discourse becomes visible is the mass media, especially the online editions: not only the published information and opinion of media and politicians can be seen and analysed, but also the comments of ordinary users/readers. This scenario is perfect for conducting a discourse analysis, although the small text corpus of the present book allowed only searching for traces of Euroscepticism and European identity in the discourse. This research is focusing on the research question: do Austrian mass media convey a European discourse which constructs and mirrors European identity and European awareness, European successes or Euroscepticism? The results are a contribution to empiric evidence of traces of Euroscepticism and European identity in the public discourse.