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This book takes an innovative view of language and politics, charting the terrain of political identities and discourses in New Zealand through detailed linguistic analysis of interactions with its voters. The author first sets out the geographical and sociopolitical context, examining how the constraints of a small and isolated country interact with widespread social values such as egalitarianism. He then delves into the multiple nature of identities and explores how Kiwis form their political selves through informal talk with others and in engagement with their physical and discursive surroundings. In doing so, the author provides an in-depth exploration of New Zealand political culture, identity and discourse, and sheds light on how we use language to become political people. This book will be of interest to linguists, political scientists and sociologists working with discourse analysis.
List of contents
Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Political landscapes: Physical, social and historical.- Chapter 3. Kiwi egalitarianism and tall poppies.- Chapter 4. A liberal bubble: Discourse at the local level.- Chapter 5. Stances of self and other.- Chapter 6. Multiple stances, multiple identities.- Chapter 7. Conclusion.
About the author
Jay M. Woodhams teaches academic literacy at the Australian National University, Canberra, and is a Research Associate of the Language in the Workplace Project, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He has published on populist political discourse in New Zealand and has looked at language use in the workplace and parliamentary contexts. His areas of interest include interactional sociolinguistics, pragmatics, cognitive linguistics and theories of discourse.
Summary
This book takes an innovative view of language and politics, charting the terrain of political identities and discourses in New Zealand through detailed linguistic analysis of interactions with its voters. The author first sets out the geographical and sociopolitical context, examining how the constraints of a small and isolated country interact with widespread social values such as egalitarianism. He then delves into the multiple nature of identities and explores how Kiwis form their political selves through informal talk with others and in engagement with their physical and discursive surroundings. In doing so, the author provides an in-depth exploration of New Zealand political culture, identity and discourse, and sheds light on how we use language to become political people. This book will be of interest to linguists, political scientists and sociologists working with discourse analysis.
Additional text
“This informative and innovative volume is a refreshing and up-to-date contribution to the domain of language and politics in many ways. … Political Identity in Discourse: The Voices of New Zealand Voters can be recommended as a valuable read to lay readers, researchers and postgraduate students interested in analyzing political discourses.” (Kai Zhao, Journal of Language and Politics, Vol. 20 (6), 2021)“Woodhams offers an important and timely contribution to studies of politics and discourse that allows a deeper understanding of our current divisive political moment. … A crucial and well-illustrated point of the book is the complex and malleable nature of political identity. … The book provides a valuable contribution to an emerging literature at the intersection of ethnographyand discourse analysis that examines the complicated formation of current political identities and political talk.” (Misty Crooks, Language in Society, Vol. 49 (5), 2020)
Report
"This informative and innovative volume is a refreshing and up-to-date contribution to the domain of language and politics in many ways. ... Political Identity in Discourse: The Voices of New Zealand Voters can be recommended as a valuable read to lay readers, researchers and postgraduate students interested in analyzing political discourses." (Kai Zhao, Journal of Language and Politics, Vol. 20 (6), 2021)"Woodhams offers an important and timely contribution to studies of politics and discourse that allows a deeper understanding of our current divisive political moment. ... A crucial and well-illustrated point of the book is the complex and malleable nature of political identity. ... The book provides a valuable contribution to an emerging literature at the intersection of ethnographyand discourse analysis that examines the complicated formation of current political identities and political talk." (Misty Crooks, Language in Society, Vol. 49 (5), 2020)
