| Abstract [eng] |
This paper, entitled “Competing Discourses in Demographic Rhetoric: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Lithuanian Parliament’s 2023 Debates”, examines demographic discourse through a critical analysis of parliamentary debates in the Lithuanian Parliament in 2023. The research problem emerges from the observation that, although there is broad political consensus that Lithuania is facing a demographic crisis and that this crisis must be addressed, not all proposed solutions aimed at population growth are equally supported. This suggests that demographic discourse in the Lithuanian Parliament is not merely a discussion about the effectiveness of policy measures. Rather, demographic discourse emerges as a field of struggle over meanings, in which particular concepts of family, nation, and reproduction are discursively constructed and contested. Given that much of the academic literature emphasizes the “convenience” of demographic discourse for the dissemination of radical right and illiberal political visions, this paper seeks not only to examine the articulation of illiberal ideas, but to critically analyze the demographic discourse as a whole, paying particular attention to the liberal voice. The aim of this research is therefore to identify and analyze the discourses operating in the Lithuanian Parliament – distinct configurations of assumptions, rationalities, and arguments that produce specific forms of demographic knowledge. The analysis employs a critical discourse analysis approach, drawing specifically on the methodological framework developed by Norman Fairclough. The findings identify four competing discourses in parliamentary demographic rhetoric: biopolitical, technocratic, traditional moral, and liberal. These discourses reveal that demographic rhetoric in the Lithuanian Parliament is multifaceted, fragmented, and discursively pluralistic. Discourses do not merely conflict with one another, but also overlap, appropriate each other’s arguments, and at times mutually legitimize one another. Beyond identifying the characteristics of individual discourses, the analysis highlights their structure and interrelations. Biopolitical and technocratic discourses emerge as a deeply entrenched and largely unquestioned foundation of demographic rationality, characterized by strong mutual reinforcement. In contrast, traditional moral and liberal discourses appear in direct conflict: while both rely on biopolitical and technocratic assumptions, they seek to establish fundamentally different and often incompatible visions of social and political order. Although the findings confirm existing scholarly arguments regarding the suitability of demographic discourse for the promotion of illiberal ideas, this study demonstrates that liberal demographic discourse in the Lithuanian Parliament cannot be understood as merely defensive. Instead, it appears as an active and agenda-setting force that articulates an alternative demographic vision. Overall, the paper shows that demographic discourse in the Lithuanian Parliament is not simply a search for effective solutions to demographic decline. Rather, it constitutes an ongoing – albeit symbolic – struggle between competing ideological and value-based positions over the boundaries of normativity, delineating what is considered normal and legitimate social functioning and what is defined as deviation requiring political intervention. |
