Critical Discourse Analysis of Barack Obama's farewell address as president from Chicago 2017
Author
Nielsen, Sebastian Schmidt
Term
4. term
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-01-04
Pages
46
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger Barack Obamas afskedstale fra Chicago den 10. januar 2017 ved hjælp af Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) for at afdække, hvordan sproget i talen formidler ideologier, magtrelationer og strategier, der kan påvirke både nationale og internationale forståelser. Forskningsspørgsmålet fokuserer på, hvilke diskursive greb og betydningsrammer der naturaliseres i en amerikansk præsidentiel genre og register, herunder brugen af brede, værdiladede begreber som demokrati, frihed, terror og klimaforandringer. Metodisk bygger analysen på CDA-litteratur (bl.a. Simpson & Mayr, 2010, og Baker & Ellece, 2011) og en generel sprogskepsis inspireret af Stuart Chase (1938), og gennemføres som en selektiv, kontekstsensitiv læsning af udvalgte citater frem for en fuldstændig gennemgang. Talen placeres i sin overgangskontekst (leveret 10 dage før embedets ophør og Trumps indsættelse) og i USA’s rolle som global stormagt, idet den præsidentielle autoritet og genrekonventioner (fx ritualiserede afslutninger) ses som centrale for, hvordan betydning og magt kommunikeres. Uddraget præsenterer formål, teori og metode, men indeholder ikke de empiriske fund, som forventes behandlet i senere dele af specialet.
This thesis applies Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to Barack Obama’s farewell address delivered in Chicago on January 10, 2017, to examine how the speech’s language conveys ideologies, power relations, and discursive strategies that shape national and international understandings. The research question focuses on which discursive moves and meaning frames are naturalized within the presidential genre and register, including the use of broad, value-laden terms such as democracy, liberty, terror, and climate change. Methodologically, the study draws on CDA scholarship (e.g., Simpson & Mayr, 2010, and Baker & Ellece, 2011) and a general skepticism about language inspired by Stuart Chase (1938), and proceeds through a selective, context-sensitive reading of chosen excerpts rather than a comprehensive line-by-line analysis. The speech is situated in its transitional moment (delivered 10 days before Obama left office and Trump took over) and in the United States’ role as a global superpower, with presidential authority and genre conventions (e.g., ritualized closings) viewed as central to how meaning and power are communicated. This excerpt outlines the aims, theory, and method but does not present empirical findings, which are expected in later sections of the thesis.
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