Mobile Culture Studies. The Journal (Dec 2016)
Rede Macht Asylpolitik - Bundestagsreden zum Thema Flucht und Asyl aus metaphorologischkulturwissenschaftlicher Perspektive
Abstract
This paper analyses the use of metaphor in political speeches addressing the so-called “refugee crisis”. The speeches were made in 2015 in the German parliament by members of the government and opposition. Our findings show that systematic and profound analysis of the apparently trivial assumption that political rhetoric effects public opinion and vice versa, produces significant results in the field of an ethnology of contemporary “Western” national states and their interdependence. This includes their self-understanding as well as the complex dynamics of discourse and power within themselves and on a global scale. The approach presented in our paper is capable of grasping the dynamic socio-cultural negotiation processes currently underway. We argue that it is important to examine the metaphorical dimension of expressions used in political discourses. If these are taken for granted, no scope would be left for alternative expressions and metaphors that trigger different frames and thus enable alternative actions.
