Far-Right Media as Imitated Counterpublicity: A Discourse Analysis on Racial Meaning and Identity on Vdare.com

Abstract

Calling attention to a lack of analytical clarity regarding far-right media within alternative media literature, we seek to answer the question: what is far-right about far-right media? Turning to Vdare.com, a prominent right-wing website run by white nationalist Peter Brimelow that publishes under the tagline “The Premier News for Patriotic Immigration Reform,” we examine racial representation, as well as the sourcing practices used by their contributors. Employing discourse analysis, we analyze a total of 227 pieces on Vdare published in August 2017. Bringing together literature from counterpublic theory as well as Fields and Fields’ notion of racecraft, we argue that far-right media is the performance of imitated counterpublicity in which critical race rhetoric is coopted to mobilize white supremacist sentiment and organize white tribal politics. To better understand far-right media, we extend counterpublic theory by questioning who gets to wear the mantle of counterpublic, as well as what limits we place on the notion of publicity as a concept of critical theory. In doing so, we call attention to the ideological closure of discursive space, the disavowal of dialogue and deliberative engagement with broader publics, and the mystical qualities of racial meaning that take place in far-right media.

Keywords:

• Critical Theory
• Identity
• Media
• Race
• White/Caucasian Studies

Disclosure statement

The authors received no financial incentive to pursue this research project. Both authors agree to the submission. Our paper is original research and is not being considered for publication anywhere else.

Notes

1 Antifa is a shorthand reference for the Anti-Fascist Movement.