Us versus Them

The Construction of the “I” and the “Other” in Political Populist Discourse

Authors

  • Lucas L Fraga Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing
  • Tânia M. C. Hoff Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21878/compolitica.2021.11.2.456

Keywords:

Political Communications; Populism; Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

In this article, we discuss how populist logic operates at different levels in political discourse, as the construction of opposition to the “Other” varies. For this debate, the corpus is formed by two pronouncements from the recent history of Brazil: one by ex-president Lula (2002-2010) and one by the current president Jair Bolsonaro, beginning his term in 2019. From these discursive acts, we observe how significations of the world are mobilized, promoting meanings around the opposition towards the “Other”, in order to build a representation of the “People” – a constitutive aspect of populism. Critical Discourse Analysis underlies our theoretical and methodological conduct, through which we investigate the argumentative strategies present in the construction of the “Us vs Them” opposition, and we question, based on the reflections of Laclau and Mouffe, the extent to which the significations of the world triggered in the construction of opposition to the “Other” can represent a threat to democratic regimes.

Author Biographies

Lucas L Fraga, Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing

Master's student in Communication and Practices of Consumption at the Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing - ESPM / SP. Member of the Research Group “Communication, Discourses and Biopolitics of Consumption”. CAPES / PROSUP fellow.

Tânia M. C. Hoff, Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing

PhD from FFLCH-USP, professor of the Postgraduate Program in Communication and Practices of Consumption at the Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing - ESPM / SP. Coordinator of the Research Group “Communication, Discourses and Biopolitics of Consumption".

References

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Published

2022-03-04

How to Cite

Fraga, L. L., & Hoff, T. M. C. (2022). Us versus Them: The Construction of the “I” and the “Other” in Political Populist Discourse. Compolítica, 11(2), 5–30. https://doi.org/10.21878/compolitica.2021.11.2.456

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 2 (2021): Revista Compolítica

Section

Artigos

License

Autores mantém os direitos autorais e concedem à revista o direito de primeira publicação, com o trabalho simultaneamente licenciado sob a Creative Commons Attribution License que permite o compartilhamento do trabalho com reconhecimento da autoria do trabalho e publicação inicial nesta revista.