Manuela Romano, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

This course takes a Critical and Socio-Cognitive approach to the analysis of protest discourse. More specifically, conceptual and analytical tools such as creativity, recontextualization, metaphorical scenario, polarization or resemiotization, among others, will help to understand how protesters create and spread their demands, how they construe solidarity, and persuade others to join their movements and take action.

The course consists of three 2-hour sessions focused on feminist protest discourse. First the main communicative functions and discursive strategies of protest discourse will be presented (session 1). Next, we will analyze a variety of protest slogans and banners from different cultural contexts to study their global and/or local strategies and messages (session 2). Finally, institutional posters fighting violence against women will be analyzed in order to compare the strategies and socio-cognitive frames being portrayed with those of citizens as created in protest banners.

Basic readings

Muelas-Gil, M. & Romano, M. (2023). Changing socio-cognitive frames through antigender-violence metaphors in Spain: A multimodal metaphor analysis. Matraga (Estudios Linguísticos y Literarios), 30/59: 254-283.

Romano, M. (2021). Creating new discourses for new feminisms: A critical sociocognitive approach. Language & Communication, 78, 88-99.

Romano, M. (2022). Occupying the streets, occupying words. Reframing new feminisms through reappropriation. Discourse & Society, 33(5), 631-649.

Van Dijk, T. A. (2024). Social movement discourse. An introduction. Abingdon/New York: Routledge.