Depth-Hermeneutic Cultural Analysis

First, the methodology of depth hermeneutics is discussed which is rooted in Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis and his cultural studies. Alfred Lorenzer has resolved the historical and societal blindness of psychoanalytic concepts through their socialization and interaction-theoretical reformulation. Furthermore, depth hermeneutics is based on Lorenzer’s methodological reflection on the application of psychoanalysis to culture, thus avoiding the dead end of psychologization and pathologization of social phenomena. Subsequently, depth hermeneutics is related to other qualitative approaches. After the main rules of the methodological procedure have been outlined, the research practice is illustrated using the scenic interpretation of a television interview with Alexander Gauland. The analysis shows how problematic it is to provide a right-wing populist with a television platform for self-presentation.