The mother of all nations

Gendered discourses in Ghana's 2020 elections

Dados Bibliográficos

ID3664321
AutoresGrace Diabah (0000-0002-1385-2486, Department of Linguistics, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana, autor correspondente), Dorothy Pokua Agyepong (0000-0002-1039-6892, Department of Linguistics, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana)
Ano2022
Volume48
Fascículo3
Páginas509-532
Data de publicação2022-09-02
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSocial Dynamics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0253-3952 • E-ISSN: 1940-7874
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02533952.2022.2105568
OpenAlexW4293858596
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas23

Gendered discourses in Ghana’s politics are not new. Unlike previous years, however, the gendered discourse in the 2020 election was different because the leading opposition party (NDC) selected a female running mate. Considering that the seat has been rotating between the NDC and NPP since 1992, Ghanaians foresaw a “real” possibility of having a female vice president. With data from online news articles and social media, this paper examines the nature of the gendered discourse that characterised Ghana’s 2020 election. We focus on stylistic devices and other linguistic strategies used with a view to understanding how gender either took a centre stage or “seeped” through the political discourse. Underpinned by Ambivalent Sexism Theory and Post-structuralist Discourse Analysis, findings indicate that although the running mate was sometimes represented in ways that challenge traditional gender stereotypes, she was largely represented in stereotypical ways, thereby corroborating findings from other parts of the world. These were done through devices like allusion, sarcasm, simile, metaphor and rhetorical questions. Findings also show that although it was the NDC that actively played the “gender card” to galvanise support, the NPP also played it to dissuade voters from voting for the NDC

Ambivalence · Discourse analysis · Linguistics · Metaphor · Political science · Politics · Rhetorical question · Simile · Sociology · Voting · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Gender Politics and Representation · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology