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Scapegoating in Telegram Groups: A Contrastive Analysis of Topoi and Rhetorical Strategies of Anti-Semitism in German and French Messages
Author(s): Eckkrammer, Eva Martha; Steidel, Sandra
Editor(s): Eibensteiner, Lukas; Hesselbach, Robert
Date: 2025
Topics: Antisemitism: Discourse, Antisemitism: Online, Social Media, Main Topic: Antisemitism, Coronavirus/Covid
Abstract: Human beings and social groups tend to apply diverse, often completely irrational strategies of self-defence when challenged with new situations that cause uncertainty or fear. Prejudices centred on blaming other groups are frequently articulated in messages distributed and shared on digital messaging services with a wide audience. In this synchronically grounded paper, we focus on contemporary anti-Semitic scapegoating strategies in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic. A bilingual corpus compiled from a large number of relevant Telegram-groups is analysed with regard to the topoi and rhetorical strategies applied in anti-Semitic scapegoating. A contrastive comparison of the French and the German data gives evidence of several similarities concerning the topoi, the rhetoric strategies, and the types of anti-Semitism in play, but also reveals some divergences. Most instances clearly qualify as hate speech based on fake facts, thus more research will be needed in the future to dismantle similar tendencies and create a growing awareness amongst media users.