National identity and immigration in Austria ‐ historical framework and political dispute

Abstract

In 1992 several pieces of legislation concerning the rights and legal status of asylum‐seekers and foreigners were passed by the Austrian Federal Parliament. The new regulations indicate on two different levels a far‐reaching change in Austria's national self‐understanding. On the one hand, in a redefinition of the country's national identity, the changes aim at a much closer political integration within the larger Western European context. On the other, Austria is revising some basic elements of her forgotten national identity by looking back at the almost forgotten remains of the multinational Austro‐Hungarian Empire at the turn of the century. These changes also indicate the influence of the Far Right over the policy agenda and the political process, influence that extends well beyond its limited electoral appeal.