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Romania is a family and it needs a strict father: conceptual metaphors at work in radical right populist discourses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Ov Cristian Norocel
Ov Cristian Norocel*
Affiliation:
Department of Political and Economic Studies, University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Political Science, Stockholm University, Sweden
*
*Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Investigating Romanian radical right populism, I evidence the gendered nature of conceptual metaphors and provide insights on the specific masculinities that they underpin in such political discourses. With the 2004 presidential elections as a backdrop, the analysis focuses on how the radical right populist candidates articulated in their discourses the conceptual metaphor of the “strict father.” At first, the theoretical standpoints on conceptual metaphors are corroborated with the conceptualization of populist charismatic leadership. Subsequently, a gendered perspective is added to the populist conceptualizations. The leaders’ self-representation as messianic fathers of the national family is evidenced by investigating their discursive appeals to protect, discipline and punish the people. Furthermore, I elaborate how conceptual metaphors may be employed to consolidate a position of uncontested leadership and moral superiority of the radical right populist leaders.

Keywords

Romaniaconceptual metaphormasculinitiesstrict fatherradical right populism
Type
Articles
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 38 , Issue 5 , September 2010 , pp. 705 - 721
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 Association for the Study of Nationalities 

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