- Home
- e-Journals
- Journal of Language and Politics
- Previous Issues
- Volume 23, Issue 1, 2024
Journal of Language and Politics - Volume 23, Issue 1, 2024
Volume 23, Issue 1, 2024
-
Examining the communication of female political leaders in the Global South
Author(s): Mark Narteypp.: 1–20 (20)More LessAbstractThis Special Issue expands on the ongoing dialogue on the decolonial project by bringing together thought-provoking papers that examine the communication of female political leaders in the Global South. It draws on data from West Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Middle East to elucidate how female politicians deploy language (including multimodal forms) to position themselves in the political arena and utilize linguistic resources to navigate the discursive practices associated with their political roles and responsibilities. The issue offers a critical discursive perspective on the complex interplay of gender, culture and political leadership, and holds implications for how key issues such as voice, agency, solidarity and empowerment are conceptualized and enacted in specific sociocultural contexts. It also contributes to overcoming epistemicide by decentring knowledge production and underscoring the importance of valuing and engaging with different knowledge systems, especially non-Western epistemologies.
-
The construction and legitimation of Elisa Loncón as a Mapuche female political leader on Instagram
Author(s): Carolina Pérez-Arredondo, Camila Cárdenas-Neira and Luis Cárcamo-Ulloapp.: 21–44 (24)More LessAbstractThis study analyzed the multimodal discursive strategies Elisa Loncón, a Mapuche linguist and renowned academic, used on Instagram to position herself as a sociopolitical leader during her tenure as president of the Chilean Constitutional Convention. 811 Instagram posts from her account were downloaded from 15 January 2021 until 15 January 2022. From this, 81 of the most interacted posts were selected and used to examine her multimodal discursive strategies while drawing on the Discourse-Historical Approach (Reisigl and Wodak 2001, 2016). The results revealed three main themes: (1) the construction of an alternative leadership, (2) visibilization of female leadership decision-making, and (3) a vindication of linguistic rights. Referential and intensification strategies were particularly salient, and they were used to legitimize her role and foreground her Mapuche ancestry. These findings highlight how female political leaders (and their intersecting identities) strategically deploy their communication practices to resist sexism and racism.
-
The construction of agency in the discourse of Barbados’ prime minister Mia Mottley
Author(s): Mark Narteypp.: 45–66 (22)More LessAbstractInformed by a critical discourse analytical approach to agency, this paper examines the construction of agency in the speeches of Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados. The analysis reveals that she enacts her agency in three main ways: (1) constructing strong and decisive leadership, (2) sculpting a ‘prophetess’ image and (3) issuing a clarion call to action. These processes enable her to project her voice, foreground the issues that are relevant to her and establish her legitimacy and authority. The study finds that Mia Mottley’s construction of agency is expressed via referential terms, personal pronouns, modal verbs and the representation of social actors. This paper extends existing work on discursive agency and illustrates the role of language and Global South leaders in the decolonization of political processes. It also affirms the view that research that foregrounds female agency is important in dismantling repressive patriarchal structures and building inclusive communities.
-
Self-promotion, ideology and power in the social media posts of Nigerian Female Political Leaders
Author(s): Ebuka Elias Igwebuike and Lily Chimuanyapp.: 67–90 (24)More LessAbstractThis article examines how Nigerian female political leaders (NFPLs) exploit self-presentation strategies to formulate and promote social justice. Using insights from critical discourse analysis and Jones and Pittman’s (1982) self-presentation strategies, and with a data set from the verified Facebook and Twitter accounts of two female ministers and three female senators, the study investigates how NFPLs systematically utilize discursive strategies such as self-promotion, ingratiation, exemplification, intimidation and supplication to present themselves as a powerful voice for the voiceless and as active alternative leaders. The study argues that the strategies help the leaders to amplify their authority by showcasing personal presence and past accomplishments, appealing to the concerns of the masses and soliciting their support in future elections. The study demonstrates that these strategies project female leaders as dynamic participants in political and public decision-making processes and positively evaluate their contributions to social change.
-
The discursive construction of solidarity by Ghanaian female parliamentarians
Author(s): Kwabena Sarfo Sarfo-Kantankah, Richmond Sadick Ngula and Mark Narteypp.: 91–112 (22)More LessAbstractResearch on issues of women has largely focused attention on, among others, power asymmetries and gender stereotypes, with less emphasis on positive linguistic mechanisms of women. Drawing on a critical discourse analytical approach and using Ghanaian parliamentary debates as data, this paper examines how female members of parliament (MPs) construct solidarity. The paper finds that, first, Ghanaian female MPs construct solidarity by positioning themselves as agents and the voice of (Ghanaian) women by using the inclusive-we and our/us. Second, the MPs engage in solidarity formation for (Ghanaian) women empowerment by championing the cause of women and calling for female empowerment. Third, the MPs demonstrate solidarity through congratulatory messages that highlight the achievements of (Ghanaian) women. Finally, the MPs resist discourses that discriminate against (Ghanaian) women. This paper highlights the need for marginalized voices to be centred in CDA research and contributes to the burgeoning scholarship on reparative critical practices.
-
Constitutive representation of womanhood
Author(s): Meral Ugur-Cinar and Fatma Yolpp.: 113–137 (25)More LessAbstractThis article analyzes the speeches of Turkish female parliamentarians during the headscarf debate. We examine how deputies with different political and ideological predilections discursively construct women’s rights and employ legitimation strategies to validate their policy position. The findings reveal that on the one hand, the female deputies use different legitimation strategies to justify arguments for or against the use of headscarves in the public sector. On the other hand, they embed the headscarf debate into the broader political goals they pursue in a polarized political setting. They deploy legitimation strategies around the headscarf debate to rationalize future policy on issues ranging from the expansion of human rights and democracy to the change of the type of political regime.
-
Review of Serafis (2023): Authoritarianism on the Front Page: Multimodal Discourse and Argumentation in Times of Multiple Crises in Greece
Author(s): Jacopo Castaldipp.: 138–141 (4)More LessThis article reviews Authoritarianism on the Front Page: Multimodal Discourse and Argumentation in Times of Multiple Crises in Greece
-
Review of Rajandran & Lee (2023): Discursive Approaches to Politics in Malaysia: Legitimising Governance
Author(s): Lei Zhao and Haijuan Yanpp.: 142–145 (4)More LessThis article reviews Discursive Approaches to Politics in Malaysia: Legitimising Governance
-
Review of Deringer & Ströbel (2022): International Discourses of Authoritarian Populism: Varieties and Approaches
Author(s): Guodong Jiang and Jiayi Zhangpp.: 146–149 (4)More LessThis article reviews International Discourses of Authoritarian Populism: Varieties and Approaches
-
Review of Almanna & House (2023): Translation Politicised and Politics Translated
Author(s): Yang Xupp.: 150–153 (4)More LessThis article reviews Translation Politicised and Politics Translated
Volumes & issues
-
Volume 24 (2025)
-
Volume 23 (2024)
-
Volume 22 (2023)
-
Volume 21 (2022)
-
Volume 20 (2021)
-
Volume 19 (2020)
-
Volume 18 (2019)
-
Volume 17 (2018)
-
Volume (2018)
-
Volume 16 (2017)
-
Volume 15 (2016)
-
Volume 14 (2015)
-
Volume 13 (2014)
-
Volume 12 (2013)
-
Volume 11 (2012)
-
Volume 10 (2011)
-
Volume 9 (2010)
-
Volume 8 (2009)
-
Volume 7 (2008)
-
Volume 6 (2007)
-
Volume 5 (2006)
-
Volume 4 (2005)
-
Volume 3 (2004)
-
Volume 2 (2003)
-
Volume 1 (2002)
Most Read This Month

-
-
Radical right-wing parties in Europe
Author(s): Jens Rydgren
-
-
-
Right-wing populism in Europe & USA
Author(s): Ruth Wodak and Michał Krzyżanowski
-
-
-
Uncivility on the web
Author(s): Michał Krzyżanowski and Per Ledin
-
- More Less