Language in a Failed State: Public Discourse in the Lebanese Crisis

By Samia Bazzi

This book examines public, political and media discourse in the context of failed states using Lebanon, a country torn by wars and political-financial corruption, as a contemporary case study. Using critical discourse analysis (CDA), the author brings political and economic theories into dialogue with socio-linguistics to argue that public discourse in a failed state not only plays a role in that collapse but is a key presenting symptom of social disintegration. Through CDA, the book makes this phenomenon visible, and contributes to existing definitions of the concept "failed" or "fragile" state. In addition, the qualitative data and analysis provided offer a tool to assess a state's vulnerability to collapse. The book also expands the sociolinguistic model to eavesdrop on the zeitgeist of the nation in order to examine the degrees of social cohesion, sectarianism and bonding. This book will be of interest to discourse analysts, journalists, politicians, policy-makers, and economists.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3031669991
• ISBN13: 9783031669996
• Release Date: October 2024
• Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
• Length: 147 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.8" x 8.3"