Discourses of borders and the nation in the USA. A discourse-historical approach.
In his lecture, Prof. Massimiliano Demata will explore how borders are used as mechanisms of power to invoke different notions of national identity during Trump's presidency and the early stages of Biden's mandate. Borders are considered as discursive constructs and their importance lies in the construction and expression of national identity across different forms of modern political discourse. Employing a framework informed by Ruth Wodak’s Discourse-Historical Approach, Prof. Demata will examine how the analysis of discourse from the Trump and Biden presidencies can reveal unique insights into how politicians use borders to recontextualize historical discourses of national identity and employ discursive strategies of inclusion and exclusion in promoting the idea of the nation. In adopting an approach which situates these discourses within their historical and socio-cultural contexts, the lecture will give insights into a multi-faceted understanding of notions of borders and national identity in contemporary political language.