From Poland to #San Escobar - on strategies subverting political discourse on Twitter

Publication: Chapter in book/Conference proceedingChapter in edited volume

Abstract

Using the example of the hashtag #SanEscobar, which was triggered by a slip of the tongue made by the then Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Witold Waszczykowski, the chapter shows how Twitter provides a discourse arena for the subversion of political discourse. A multimodal discourse analysis of tweets reveals how participants jointly devise the virtual country of San Escobar. The conceptual structure of the unfolding discourse uses elements from frames which comprise knowledge about South-America, Pablo Escobar and about the national conservative PiS party. Conceptual elements and structure from these frames are combined in a way that associates PiS-governed Poland with the stereotype of a South American narco-democracy (San Escobar) and thus humorously criticises the current political situation in Poland.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationReference and Identity in Public Discourses
Editors Lutzky, Ursula / Nevala, Minna
Place of PublicationAmsterdam/Philadelphia
PublisherBenjamins
Pages251 - 280
ISBN (Print)9789027204202
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Austrian Classification of Fields of Science and Technology (ÖFOS)

  • 508007 Communication science
  • 602004 General linguistics
  • 602047 Slavonic studies
  • 602048 Sociolinguistics
  • 602026 Cognitive linguistics
  • 602041 Rhetoric

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