Abstract

All over Europe, right-wing populist movements have become increasingly successful - largely through their expression of anti-migration and anti-Islam views. The most successful of these populist parties, however, so far remains under-researched by both discourse and political linguists : the Swiss party UDC (Union démocratique du centre). The current study uses Martin Wengeler's “topos analysis” to identify typical arguments that define the UDC's migration discourse. It is argued that this discourse is at the centre of right-wing populist parties' world view and their success with the public. The analysis shows topoi typical of right-wing populist discourses, such as the opposition of the common people and the elite, but also some Swiss particularities, such as the topos of the sovereignty of the people.