Recognize the language of populism – education for a critical society

RESEARCH AREA: PHILOLOGY

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CONTRIBUTION TO THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS OF THE UCM

The goal of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) is to protect democratic processes and trust in public institutions. Empirical analyses and deconstruction of populist language are necessary to recognize manipulative strategies, strengthen media literacy, and enhance the resilience of public discourse. At UCM, the results of such analyses are reflected in educational tools for schools, the media, and the public, thereby fulfilling SDG 4 (Quality Education). Cooperation with academic, media, and civic partners develops SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). An innovative, data- and language-technology-based approach also supports SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

Social demand	The social challenge required addressing the recognition and deconstruction of the manipulative language of right-wing populism as a tool for protecting democracy. At a time of growing political and social tension, often fueled by the rhetoric of right-wing populism, society faces a fundamental challenge: how to effectively recognize, understand, and counter manipulative strategies that polarize public discourse, sow mistrust, and undermine democratic institutions. This challenge has highlighted the urgent need to build competencies in critical thinking, language analysis, and civic education. Today's society needs tools to identify populist narratives and respond to them in an informed, responsible manner consistent with democratic values.
UCM solution	UCM has brought an innovative approach to addressing the challenges associated with the rise of right-wing populism through successfully conducted empirical research into its language. The results show that a thorough analysis and understanding of these linguistic strategies can significantly contribute to education, media literacy, and social resilience. The practical outputs—a university textbook, educational materials, new courses, workshops, and lectures—are intended not only for the academic community, but also for teachers, students, pupils, the media, political actors, and the general public. They focus primarily on working with adolescents and adults, strengthening their ability to recognize, analyze, and deconstruct populist language, thereby actively contributing to the protection of democratic values.
Social impact of the UCM solution	UCM's research has provided a concrete and effective response to a social challenge that, at a time of growing political and social tension, contributes to polarization, weakens trust in public institutions, and undermines democratic principles. The research results have been translated into educational tools and activities that systematically strengthen competencies in critical thinking, language analysis, and civic engagement. The research results are relevant not only to the field of philology, but also extend to several other disciplines (political linguistics, political science, sociology, psychology, etc.) in Slovakia and in an international context.
Partnerships	The project sparked further cooperation with foreign universities, such as J. E. Purkyně University (Czech Republic), the University of Bamberg (Germany), and the University of Vienna (Austria), in the form of scientific lectures and review activities, and inspired the creation of other projects abroad, such as "Linguistic Specifics of the Reich Citizens' Movement" (GAČR 22-00551S). Various media professionals have also expressed interest in the project's results in the form of requests for consultations and information on the issue as part of their research. For example, cooperation with Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk Saxony and Thuringia (MDR Sachsen, MDR Türingen) and the Itidal portal has been documented. In the field of political actors, the results of the project have led to requests for expert opinions on the language of right-wing populism and extremism, e.g., consulting for the B90/Die Grünen faction in the German Bundestag.
Contact	assoc. prof. Mgr. Simona Fraštiková, PhD. (simona.frastikova@ucm.sk) Faculty of Arts Univerzita sv. Cyrila a Metoda v Trnave Nám. Jozefa Herdu 2 917 01 Trnava