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Solidarity in the Public Sphere: A Discourse Network Analysis of German Newspapers (2008–2017)

Author

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  • Stefan Wallaschek

    (Institute of Social Sciences, University of Hildesheim, Germany)

  • Christopher Starke

    (Department of Social Sciences, University of Düsseldorf, Germany)

  • Carlotta Brüning

    (Department of Social Sciences, University of Düsseldorf, Germany)

Abstract

Multiple crises in the EU have sparked a renaissance of the concept of solidarity. However, discursive approaches to solidarity and the public understanding of solidarity have hardly received scholarly attention. Empirical research on solidarity is rather centered on welfare institutions as well as on individual attitudes and behavior. To shed new light on solidarity in public discourse, we investigate in which policy fields the term is most often used, which actors refer to it and how different types of solidarity are covered in the German public discourse. We investigate the coverage of solidarity in four German newspapers ( Die Welt , Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , Süddeutsche Zeitung , Die Tageszeitung ) from 2008 to 2017. By deploying the discourse network methodology with 306 claims in 230 news articles, we analyze the co-occurrence of actors and issues over time. Our results indicate a varying set of issues in which solidarity occurs, a rather stable actor visibility, across time and a context-dependent use of different types of solidarity. Government actors, civil society actors as well as citizens drive the solidarity discourse showing that institutional as well as non-institutional actors make use of solidarity in their public actions regarding political protest, financial issues and migration. The study provides novel insights into the interdependence of actor and issue visibility and sheds new light on solidarity in media discourses.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefan Wallaschek & Christopher Starke & Carlotta Brüning, 2020. "Solidarity in the Public Sphere: A Discourse Network Analysis of German Newspapers (2008–2017)," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 257-271.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:257-271
    DOI: 10.17645/pag.v8i2.2609
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paul Statham & Hans-Jörg Trenz, 2013. "How European Union Politicization can Emerge through Contestation: The Constitution Case," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(5), pages 965-980, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Renate Fischer & Alexa Keinert & Otfried Jarren & Ulrike Klinger, 2021. "What Constitutes a Local Public Sphere? Building a Monitoring Framework for Comparative Analysis," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(3), pages 85-96.
    2. Stefan Wallaschek & Kavyanjali Kaushik & Monika Verbalyte & Aleksandra Sojka & Giuliana Sorci & Hans-Jörg Trenz & Monika Eigmüller, 2022. "Same Same but Different? Gender Politics and (Trans-)National Value Contestation in Europe on Twitter," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(1), pages 146-160.
    3. Philip Leifeld, 2020. "Policy Debates and Discourse Network Analysis: A Research Agenda," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 180-183.

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