Chapter 4
Knifed in the back
A metaphor analysis of party leadership takeovers
A politician’s first public address in the role of party leader is a crucial performative act, as it presents him/her with a rare opportunity to (re) negotiate his/her personal narrative and ‘brand’ before an attentive national audience. Metaphors play an important role in this discursive management of power transfer. The data for this paper comprises speeches given in the aftermath of political deposals in Australian federal politics in the past quarter century. Reasons for variations in the metaphors found therein are considered, including the influence of genre, function and ideology. Four metaphor scenarios are found to be recurrent: leadership as direction, leadership as conflict, leadership as foundation, and leadership as hard work. The significance of novel metaphors is also considered.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Metaphor variation in leadership takeovers
- 3.Defining the genre: Leadership challenges
- 4.Data and methodological approach
- 5.Metaphor scenarios
- 5.1Leadership is direction
- 5.2Leadership is conflict
- 5.3Leadership is a foundation
- 5.4Leadership is physical labor
- 6.Novel metaphors
- 7.Conclusion
-
Notes
-
Data Sources
-
References
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