Propaganda is not some distant spectacle – it takes place right here amongst us. More subtly than posters and slogans, it shapes language, the media and public debates – from Europe to China, from Russian narratives to the populist strategies of Western politics. At the heart of this book lies the current shift to the right in Europe: how do language and perception change as populist rhetoric seeps ever deeper into our everyday consciousness? How do actors use manipulative narratives to secure political power – and who benefits from this?
With a keen eye and a skilful hand, Irina Rastorgueva – following the success of Pop-up Propaganda – guides us through the mechanisms of modern manipulation: she shows how disinformation works – and what ways there are to counter it. A Guide to Propaganda in Europe turns education into a craft – both literally and figuratively. Every page of this hand-drawn book takes a stand against automated troll factories and the linguistic erosion of democratic values.
“The book examines right-wing propaganda in Europe, the rise of right-wing populists and the far right in European politics. It explores various propaganda systems and the influence of Russian propaganda in the European media landscape, and seeks to highlight ways of recognising such information and developing critical thinking.”
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Irina Rastorgueva, born in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in 1983, studied philology and worked as a cultural journalist for several Russian magazines and radio stations. She is the author of numerous academic articles on the theory and history of literature and journalism. Since 2017 she has been working as an author and graphic designer in Berlin. She writes for the FAZ, NZZ and Osteuropa magazine. Her previous book Pop-Up Propaganda (2024) received the Leipzig Book Fair Prize 2025 and has been translated into Hungarian and Russian.
