The construction of agency in the discourse of Barbados’ prime minister Mia Mottley
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6084942 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mark Nartey (0000-0001-8386-6616) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 45-66 |
| Publication date | 2024-02-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Language and Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1569-2159 • E-ISSN: 1569-9862 |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1075/jlp.22145.nar |
| OpenAlex | W4388222017 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 28 |
Informed by a critical discourse analytical approach to agency, this paper examines the construction of agency in the speeches of Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados. The analysis reveals that she enacts her agency in three main ways: (1) constructing strong and decisive leadership, (2) sculpting a ‘prophetess’ image and (3) issuing a clarion call to action. These processes enable her to project her voice, foreground the issues that are relevant to her and establish her legitimacy and authority. The study finds that Mia Mottley’s construction of agency is expressed via referential terms, personal pronouns, modal verbs and the representation of social actors. This paper extends existing work on discursive agency and illustrates the role of language and Global South leaders in the decolonization of political processes. It also affirms the view that research that foregrounds female agency is important in dismantling repressive patriarchal structures and building inclusive communities
Agency (philosophy · Decolonization · Discourse analysis · Legitimacy · Linguistics · Political science · Politics · Prime minister · Representation (politics · Social science · Sociology · Caribbean history, culture, and politics · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Multilingual Education and Policy · Law · Philosophy
Politicians and Rhetoric
Analysing Political Speeches
Discourse and Practice
Political discourse and political cognition
Discourse and Politics
Undemocratic Discourse
The wounded leader
Analysing Agency
Female agency in action
Entanglement and feminist agency in picture books
The agency factor
Formulating emancipatory discourses and reconstructing resistance
Free men we stand under the flag of our land’
Voice, agency and identity
Preempting the future
The Ideological Organization of Representational Processes in the Presentation of us and them
Language and Politics
Politics in the media and the media in politics
The discursive construction of gender and agency in the linguistic landscape of Ireland’s 2018 abortion referendum campaign
Discursive Agency
We must unite now or perish
Discursive illusions in the American National Strategy for Combating Terrorism
Critical discourse analysis
Consciousness Development in Rastafari
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |