ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the concept of Far-Right Newspeak. In particular, I focus on the ways in which a variety of contemporary politicians, intellectuals, and pundits in Europe and America have used and abused the language of liberalism and democracy to promote illiberal and anti-liberal aims. I set the stage for the analyses and arguments of this volume’s contributors by raising three crucial questions. First, I address the meaning of Far-Right Newspeak and ask how we should recognize it. Second, I ask why millions of people in democracies around the world are open to the language of Far-Right Newspeak and, in many cases, choose to align themselves with the views of its expositors. Finally, I ask why we should be concerned about the appeal of Far-Right Newspeak and what this form of political speech could mean for the future of liberal democracy.
