Pseudo-patriotic undertone of unity discourse in Nigeria’s print media
The realisation of genuine national unity within its ethnically diverse society has always been the primary challenge facing Nigeria since its Independence in 1960. This study investigated the discursive recontextualisation of national unity through newspaper congratulatory announcements (NCAs) w...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2021
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/18130/1/42802-165024-1-PB.pdf http://journalarticle.ukm.my/18130/ https://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/issue/view/1417 |
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| Summary: | The realisation of genuine national unity within its ethnically diverse society has always been
the primary challenge facing Nigeria since its Independence in 1960. This study investigated
the discursive recontextualisation of national unity through newspaper congratulatory
announcements (NCAs) within Nigeria’s ethnically diverse society, focusing on the
pseudopatriotic undertones of the privately sponsored NCAs. Critical discourse analysis
(CDA) and the agenda-setting theory informed the theoretical underpinning of the study. The
data is drawn from four major dailies, covering the period between 2011 and 2016. Multimodal
critical discourse analysis (MCDA) and the visual grammar (VG) are used as analytical
methods to examine 97 privately sponsored NCAs. Dominant themes in the NCAs are
highlighted along with the type of national unity projected in the NCAs. The analysis revealed
that, in the name of promoting unity, private individuals and global conglomerates utilize
pseudo acts to boost profits, enhance customer index, and construct their corporate image in
the eyes of the ruling regimes and the general public in their host communities. It was also
found that the envisioned future of the country as a united reality appears to contradict the
common perception and lived experiences of the people. This study is meant to highlight the
way certain ideologies are promoted and further interests are realised through the print media
in the name of pseudo-patriotism. Further research may investigate comparable representations
likely found in other newspaper genres as well as additional semiotic resources such as
Nigeria’s Civil War artefacts and monuments, statues, and other national symbols. |
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