The Revival of the Far-Right in Italian Politics: A Visual Narrative Analysis of Images of Giorgia Meloni

Abstract

This paper uses visual narrative analysis and the strategy of layering to study five images of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. I argue Meloni has used the medium of images to push her political agenda and legitimize her power. By doing so, this paper aims to answer the question: how does the Italian far-right mobilize images in order to frame and amplify their political agendas? With this, I find that Meloni has been able to effectively use images to evoke emotion, frame her ideas, and gain popularity among Italian voters. Moreover, I find that Meloni has also been able to insert herself into a larger far-right movement that has taken place across the world. Theoretically, this paper contributes to a popular area of international relations scholarship which covers visual narrative analysis writ large. Keywords: Visual Narrative Analysis, Layering, Giorgia Meloni, Emotions, Framing, Populism