Workshop - Metaphor and Political Discourse

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Gualda (UFBA), rgualda@ufba.br

This workshop will draw from Lakoff’s (1996, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012) and my work on metaphor in political discourse and apply that framework to contemporary instances of political discourse around the world.

The main source of our discussions will be Lakoff’s (2002) Moral Politics, which presents the main opposition in US politics (republicans versus democrats) as an instance of metaphoric expansion of the typical US family, its ideals, values, beliefs, aesthetics, morals, and attitudes. Conservatives’ worldview can be synthesized in the figure of the authoritative father, while that of liberals revolves around the nurturing parent.

In my current research, I show that political and media figures metonymically embody widely recognizable basic social roles, not always as fundamental as that of a parent. Roles must be plausible for the objectives of the candidate, but also easily recognizable for large groups of the public. In the case of the US, prototypical social roles of High School characters are frequently assessed, as in the 2008 presidential elections. The Hillary-Obama opposition, for instance, reproduced media couples, such as Lisa-Bart (The Simpsons) or Rachel-Finn (Glee), or the nerdy girl and the popular boy.

In Latin America, school has only recently started to reach the vast majority of the population, so that school roles are far from universal. Instead, roles draw more typically from the extended family. Such is the case of Hugo Chávez or Lula (the fun uncle) or Dilma Rousseff (the angry mother/aunt).

Of course, other roles are also employed, as John McCain (the grumpy grandfather), or Fernando Henrique Cardoso (the good boss). The key is that public discourse typically leads to prototypical metonymical roles, regardless of the intentions or consciousness of the public figure. They are a way for people to understand and relate to the media personality.

Clearly, roles may be recognized by some groups and not others, so the widest reception is the most desirable. Also, the same role may have different connotations to different groups, so the most positive connotation for the largest share of the public is frequently sought. Reception, then, is a key issue. We propose a dual reading of the discourse of the candidate and the most common parodies of him/her in the media, as the analyses will show.

In the final session of the workshop, participants will be invited to think of a public figure and discuss whether they can imagine prototypical metonymical roles associated to him/her.

Reference

Lakoff, G. (2002). Moral Politics: How liberals and conservatives think. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.