Political debate, pamphlet, or propaganda? Contributions of political magazines to the political culture of the Berlin republic

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Axel Kuhn
• Subject Area: General and Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies ; Communication Sciences ; Theatre and Media Studies
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 495574469

This project focuses on the functional analysis of political magazines and their impact on the political culture of the Berlin republic (1991–2021) in Germany. The primary research objective is to evaluate the magazines’ capability to provide the typically expected functionalities of political communication in democracies, e.g., political debate, critique, control, or inclusion of minorities, as they typically focus on opposing values like ideological self-assurance of political identities and communities and therefore consciously exclude different political attitudes. For that purpose, the magazines’ media frames and narratives, their transformation by digital media environments, and their references to shifts in political communication like radicalization or populism are investigated by qualitative content and material analysis.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants