Metaphors in Hugo Chávez's Political Discourse

This book provides the first comprehensive analysis
of metaphors
used by Hugo Chávez in his efforts to construct and
legitimize his
Bolivarian Revolution. It focuses on metaphors
drawn from three of his most frequent target domains:
the nation,
his revolution, and the opposition. The author argues
that behind an
official discourse of inclusion, Chávez's choice of
metaphors contributes to the construction of a
polarizing discourse
of exclusion in which his political opponents are
represented as
enemies of the nation. Chávez constructs this
polarizing discourse of exclusion by combining
metaphors that
conceptualize: (a) the nation as a person who has
been resurrected
by his government, as a person ready to fight for his
revolution, or as Chávez himself; (b) the revolution
as war; and (c)
members of the opposition as war combatants or
criminals. At the
same time, by making explicit references in his
discourse about the revolution as the continuation of
Simón Bolívar's
wars of independence, Chávez contributes to represent
opponents
as enemies of the nation, given that in the
Venezuelan collective imaginary Bolívar is the symbol
of the nation's
emancipation.

Autorentext
Dr. Marco Aponte Moreno specializes in political discourse analysis and Latin American studies. He obtained his Ph.d. at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He is also a professional actor and conducts research on the use of drama in second language teaching. He lives in London and teaches at Aston University.

Klappentext
This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of metaphors used by Hugo Chávez in his efforts to construct and legitimize his Bolivarian Revolution. It focuses on metaphors drawn from three of his most frequent target domains: the nation, his revolution, and the opposition. The author argues that behind an official discourse of inclusion, Chávez's choice of metaphors contributes to the construction of a polarizing discourse of exclusion in which his political opponents are represented as enemies of the nation. Chávez constructs this polarizing discourse of exclusion by combining metaphors that conceptualize: (a) the nation as a person who has been resurrected by his government, as a person ready to fight for his revolution, or as Chávez himself; (b) the revolution as war; and (c) members of the opposition as war combatants or criminals. At the same time, by making explicit references in his discourse about the revolution as the continuation of Simón Bolívar's wars of independence, Chávez contributes to represent opponents as enemies of the nation, given that in the Venezuelan collective imaginary Bolívar is the symbol of the nation's emancipation.