The Discursive Construction of the Modern Political Self

Table of contents

1. Introduction

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Aims of the book

Overarching analytic approaches

Contents of the book

2. Modern political discourse: Innovations and revisited traditions

Introduction

Political discourse in the post-digital era

The language of populism

3. The discursive construction, delegitimization, and defense of political identities

Introduction

Constructing (political) selves: positioning, narrative, and coherence

Contesting the opposition: delegitimization and recontextualization

Taking a stance in the defense of identities

4. "It's time for one of us": the construction of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's political self during her first campaign

Introduction

The selected viral content of Ocasio-Cortez's first campaign

The construction of a coherent political self in The Courage to Change

A tweeted narrative

Narrating Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: novelty and populism in her campaign ad and tweets

5. Attacks on a progressive newcomer: Fox News coverage and its uptake online

The anti-AOC offensive

Methods

Dismantling legitimacy on Fox News

The recontextualization of Ocasio-Cortez's words onto Fox News

Fox News coverage of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

YouTube comments about Fox News coverage

6. "Get used to me slaying": The discursive realization of a 'clapback queen'

Introduction

Data and Methods

"I am incredibly flattered," "This is not about me:" defense, rebuttal, and reprisal on the House floor

"Don't hate me cause you ain't me, fellas": expressing (dis)alignment on Twitter

Conclusions

7. The identity work of a modern leader

Introduction

Narrating a new political identity

Subverting the narrative

Safeguarding the narrative

Looking ahead

Appendix

Index