The genesis of racist discourse in Austria since 1989
Ruth Wodak · 2013
Whenever one comes to Vienna, one is met on the way into the city by a barrage of colourful posters proclaiming ‘Vienna is different’. This ‘difference’ compared to other European capital cities is said to lie in Vienna’s being less dirty, noisy and crowded. The Austrian government apparently wishes to keep it so-that is, less crowded: the new residency law that came into effect on 1 July 1993 not only closes the door to many potential immigrants, but also effectively empowers the immigration authorities to expatriate any number of those who have lived legally in Austria for years. Alas, Austria’s increasingly restrictive residency requirements have narrowed Vienna’s ‘difference’ with other European capitals considerably.