THE STRATEGY OF FEAR APPEAL: ON PRO-AUTHORITARIAN COMMUNICATION IN BELARUS
Andrei KALAVUR [a] [b] (ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6010-2557)
Analele Universității din București. Științe Politice [Annals of the University of Bucharest. Political Science series]
Vol. XXV, Issue 2, Online first
https://doi.org/10.54885/AUB-SP-RAMN7379
[b] Faculty of Social Studies, Department of Political Science, Masaryk University Brno, Czechia
Systems of oppression rely on the cultivation of fear appeals. In this article I explore the specific case of Belarus, which illustrates how the communication strategy/ies, institutional framework, and repressive means are closely related and intertwined. In the first part of the research, which is informed by the theoretical approach of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), I used automated content analysis of pro-authoritarian supporters’ communication from 2015 to 2020. In the second part, I present the results of an online fear survey conducted in collaboration with the Centre for New Ideas and the initiative - There is a Question. The survey aimed to determine the prevalence of fear appeal perception among Belarusians. Based on all these data, I argue that this fear strategy is employed to preempt challenges arising from the regime’s institutional and informational uncertainty. At the same time, I argue that, regarding its effectiveness, respondents are indeed affected by fear appeals. Finally, I discuss the various reactions to fear appeals.
Keywords: authoritarianism, communication strategy, mind control, fear appeal, Belarus, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)
2023-2-Kalavur.pdfAndrei KALAVUR is a doctoral researcher at Faculty of Social Studies, Department of Political Science, Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia.
KALAVUR, Andrei 2024. The Strategy of Fear Appeal: On Pro-Authoritarian Communication in Belarus. Analele Universității din București. Științe Politice [Annals of the University of Bucharest. Political Science series] XXVI: Online first. https://doi.org/10.54885/AUB-SP-RAMN7379
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The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
FUNDING
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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