Political Discourse Analysis

How can political actors regain control and credibility in a world of constant challenges?

• Analyses how political regimes globally can manage challenges and threats to their policies or even to their very existence
• Integrates current linguistic approaches in Critical Discourse Studies (CDS) with theories of legitimisation
• Brings together the different discursive strategies available to political actors in contexts where institutional, media genre and crisis management factors come into play
• Explores a variety of legitimisation strategies and the destabilising effects of de-legitimisation in crisis and conflict
• Includes quantitative and qualitative research methods adapted to political contexts and the types of corpora available

Political Discourse Analysis addresses the challenges facing political actors at all levels of society and across a range of regimes. It shows how discursive legitimisation strategies can vary on a continuum ranging from the stabilising effects of institutional discourse and the management of destabilising factors inherent in new types of media to the destabilising potential of rhetorical devices and deliberate de-legitimisation strategies used to attack opponents. The diverse approaches show how political actors strive to maintain control in the context of democratic deficit and crisis in developed societies while addressing growing global threats to stability in all regimes. While many actors seek legitimisation through the institutional structure, media or rhetoric, others may seek to weaken any opposition to them through de-legitimisation. In this collection Butler provides the reader with replicable methods that can be adapted to political contexts.