Pragmatic explorations of reference and identity in public discourses

This introductory chapter sets the scene for the contributions to this volume which are all focused on the analysis of reference and identity in public discourses. In this chapter, we provide an initial overview of previous research findings on reference and identity, and thus offer a foundation on which the following chapters will build. The focus is on the study of identity that is constructed or represented in public discourses through reference markers or the discussion of linguistic and extralinguistic defining features. It is the purpose of this introduction to shed light on these discursive mechanisms behind historical and present-day identity construction, as well as to introduce the studies themselves.