A call to arms at the end of history: A discourse-historical analysis of George W. Bush's declaration of war on terror

Philip Graham; Thomas Keenan; Anne-Maree Dowd

doi:10.1177/0957926504041017

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A call to arms at the end of history: A discourse-historical analysis of George W. Bush's declaration of war on terror

Journal article

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A call to arms at the end of history: A discourse-historical analysis of George W. Bush's declaration of war on terror

Philip Graham, Thomas Keenan and Anne-Maree Dowd

Discourse and Society, Vol.15(2-3), pp.199-221

2004

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926504041017

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Abstract

critical discourse analysis

political discourse

social dynamics

terrorism

warfare

In this article we take a discourse-historical approach to illustrate the significance of George W. Bush's (2001) declaration of a 'war on terror'. We present four exemplary 'call to arms' speeches by Pope Urban II (1095), Queen Elizabeth I (1588), Adolf Hitler (1938) and George W. Bush (2001) to exemplify the structure, function, and historical significance of such texts in western societies over the last millennium. We identify four generic features that have endured in such texts throughout this period: (i) an appeal to a legitimate power source that is external to the orator, and which is presented as inherently good; (ii) an appeal to the historical importance of the culture in which the discourse is situated; (iii) the construction of a thoroughly evil Other; and (iv) an appeal for unification behind the legitimating external power source. We argue further that such texts typically appear in historical contexts characterized by deep crises in political legitimacy.

Details

Title: A call to arms at the end of history: A discourse-historical analysis of George W. Bush's declaration of war on terror
Authors: Philip Graham (Author) - University of Queensland
Thomas Keenan (Author) - University of Queensland
Anne-Maree Dowd (Author) - University of Queensland
Publication details: Discourse and Society, Vol.15(2-3), pp.199-221
Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd.
Date published: 2004
DOI: 10.1177/0957926504041017
ISSN: 0957-9265; 0957-9265
Copyright note: Copyright © 2004 The Author. The author's accepted version is reproduced here in accordance with the publisher's copyright policy. The definitive version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0957926504041017
Organisation Unit: Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic); University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Creative Industries - Legacy
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450539902621
Output Type: Journal article
Research Statement: false

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Web Of Science research areas: Communication; Psychology, Multidisciplinary; Sociology