A Critical Discourse Analysis of Racism in Selected Statements by Winston Churchill
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25130/Lang.9.3.P1.16Keywords:
Racism, Critical discourse analysis, Winston ChurchillAbstract
This study examines racism in Winston Churchill's selected statements through Critical Discourse Analysis, specifically using Reisigl and Wodak's (2001) Discourse-Historical Approach. The analysis focuses on discursive strategies of self-presentation and othering, revealing how Churchill systematically used positive in-group and negative out-group strategies. His discourse consistently reflects racial hierarchies by portraying colonial powers as superior while denigrating marginalized groups. The research reveals Churchill's use of explicit language without mitigation, demonstrating his clear ideological commitment to racial worldviews. These discursive patterns are examined within their historical context of the colonial era. The findings highlight how political discourse operates as a tool for naturalizing racism through strategic representations of self and other. The study concludes that Churchill's discourse is a reflection of embedding racist ideologies in political discourse through binary oppositions that are employed for the positive evaluation of the dominant groups and the negative evaluation of the dominated ones.
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