Power and Ideologies in Discourse: A Political Discourse Analysis of Biden’s Selected Speeches

Abstract

Political discourse analysis is a field of critical discourse, used to interpret political text and talk in a political and social context. The present study aims to analyze the hidden ideologies and elements of power that reside in the political discourse of American president Joe Biden, which occurred during the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Qualitative content analysis is employed within the framework of Fairclough (1989). Core findings of the study have suggested Biden’s ideology of portraying his positive image and Afghanistan’s negative image. Power relations are illustrated accumulatively in three stages of analysis through linguistic choices. This study is beneficial for raising the awareness of people regarding political context. Future researchers may explore persuasive strategies used in the same speeches of president Biden.

   Keywords: Fairclough, Ideology,  Political discourse analysis