A 40-Year-Old Black Man Made the Point to Me

Everyday Knowledge and the Performance of Leadership in Contemporary British Politics

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6344965
AutoresJohn Atkins (0000-0002-7391-4685, University of Leeds), Judi Atkins (University of Leeds), Alan Finlayson (0000-0003-3939-349X, University of East Anglia)
Año2013
Volumen61
Número1
Páginas161-177
Fecha de publicación2013-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPolitical Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0032-3217 • E-ISSN: 1467-9248
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1111/j.1467-9248.2012.00953.x
OpenAlexW1546991451
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas40
Referencias citadas49

In this article we demonstrate the application of rhetorical political analysis in the study of political communication and political ideas and ideologies. Taking the rhetorical use of anecdotes as a case study, we find that their use by mainstream party leaders in Britain has proliferated markedly since the mid-1990s. Drawing on examples from speeches by leaders of all three main parties, we show how these stories are employed as a form of argumentative proof that relies significantly on the elevation of ‘everyday’ experience and knowledge above expert or technical knowledge. We argue that this reflects a more general ‘valorisation of lay knowledge’ and, moreover, that it is indicative of a form of populist ideology

Argumentative · Epistemology · Ideology · Linguistics · Mainstream · Media studies · Political communication · Political science · Politics · Rhetoric · Rhetorical question · Social science · Sociology · Law · Philosophy · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Rhetoric and Communication Studies · Social and Cultural Dynamics