Research
Title of thesis
The Representation of Jerry John Rawlings in the Ghanaian Media
Description of thesis research
This study examines how the Ghanaian news media represented Jerry John Rawlings, Ghana’s longest serving leader who transitioned from being head of a revolutionary military government (1981-1992] to become the first President [1993-2001] in the elected liberal democratic government in Ghana’s 4th Republic.
Drawing on a corpus-assisted discourse studies approach and insights from discourse-historical analysis, the study explores the ways in which the media represented Rawlings, the variation in the representation during his military and democratic rule, and the legitimation strategies employed to validate these representations.
Situated in a context underexplored in the literature, this study will contribute to knowledge on the ways in which the media represents individual socio-political actors in their performance of politics. By comparing the representation of Rawlings between the state-owned and privately-owned press, the study will enrich understanding of the implicit and explicit nuances embedded in the representational strategies of the media.
It will also shed light on the legitimation strategies, discourse and social practices embedded in the media’s presentation of Rawlings in the news which may reveal the ideological leanings of the media and how this may have contributed to certain public perceptions of him.
The following questions inform the research:
- How was Rawlings represented in the Ghanaian news media during his military rule?
- How was Rawlings represented in the Ghanaian news media during his democratic rule?
- How did the state-owned press and privately-owned press represent Rawlings?
- Which legitimation strategies were used in the Ghanaian news media to validate the various representations of Rawlings?
Research Group Affiliation
Member Research Centre for Professional Communication in English (RCPCE)
