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Article published In:
Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict
Vol. 11:2 (2023) ► pp.200–225

Reinventing identity and resistance ideology in protest narratives

The case of Oduduwa secessionist group on Facebook

ORCID logo | Covenant University , Nigeria
ORCID logo | Covenant University , Nigeria

The Oduduwa secessionist group is a good reminder that Nigeria’s nationhood is still highly contested. Unfortunately, there appears to be very little or no linguistic research on the discourses produced by this emerging group of activists. This study examines Oduduwa agitators’ Facebook activism as a form of political communication in order to identify their prevalent ideology and techniques for constructing their group’s identity and activities.

Facebook data are studied by applying Critical Discourse Analysis, more specifically van Dijk’s ideological framework, to investigate the rhetorical and discourse structures of the campaign narratives. Findings indicate that, since the Oduduwa agitators are a group of individuals determined to secede from Nigeria, the structures of their campaign discourse contain crucial metaphorical expressions that construct the group’s identity. Among those expressions, we find prejudicial generalisations, emphasis on victimisation of ‘Us’, the use of number games to stress victimhood and ideological polarisation of individuals and groups.

Keywords: discourse, narrative, ideology, resistance, identity, representation, Facebook, Oduduwa, Yoruba, Nigeria
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background to the study
    • 2.1Oduduwa secessionist group
    • 2.2Facebook as a public sphere and a platform for activism
      • 2.2.1Oduduwa agitations on Facebook
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Data
    • 3.2Theoretical framework: Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) – van Dijk’s socio-cognitive approach
  • 4.Results
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Actor description
    • 5.2Argumentation
    • 5.3Authority and legitimation
    • 5.4Evidentiality and example
    • 5.5Generalisation and number games
    • 5.6Lexicalisation, metaphor and discourse-stylistic strategies
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 27 October 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlac.00078.ami
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