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Reframing Rights: Far-Right Discourses of Human Rights in the Slovak Republic

Sociologický ústav Slovenskej akadémie vied v. v. i. Vás srdečne pozýva na

ÚSTAVNÝ SEMINÁR SOCIOLOGICKÉHO ÚSTAVU SAV

25. 2. 2026 o 13.30

S prednáškou
Reframing Rights: Far-Right Discourses of Human Rights in the Slovak Republic

vystúpi

Radka Vicenová (Sociologický ústav SAV, v.v.i.)

Prednáška bude v anglickom jazyku v miestnosti č. 94 na Klemensovej 19 v Bratislave

We have the honour to invite you for research seminar of the Institute for Sociology of Slovak Academy of Sciences.

On Wednesday, 25th February at 13.30, Radka Vicenová (Sociologický ústav SAV, v.v.i) will present paper "Reframing Rights: Far-Right Discourses of Human Rights in the Slovak Republic".

The seminar will be in English and will take place in room 94.

Abstract
One of the defining characteristics of the contemporary far right is authoritarianism, reflected in the prioritisation of obedience over the protection of human rights and individual freedoms. Far-right political actors are generally assumed to inherently oppose human rights, especially those of minorities. Yet the COVID-19 pandemic, marked by opposition to lockdowns and vaccination policies, exposed a paradox: groups and actors associated with far-right movements presented themselves as defenders of rights and freedoms. The pandemic period is not the only instance of the far right reinterpreting the concept of human rights. This was particularly significant in CEE countries, which have exhibited increasingly authoritarian tendencies and tolerance for illiberal political narratives in recent years. However, empirical research on this issue remains limited. The present study provides a systematic qualitative analysis of human rights–related speeches by far-right MPs in the National Council of the Slovak Republic (2016-2023) to examine how they appropriated human rights discourse to advance their own agendas. The study thus contributes to far-right scholarship by demonstrating that human rights discourse can function as a legitimising tool for exclusionary and illiberal politics, challenging binary theoretical understandings of the far right as inherently anti-rights.