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Article published In:
Discourse analysis, policy analysis, and the borders of EU identity
Edited by Caterina Carta and Ruth Wodak
[Journal of Language and Politics 14:1] 2015
► pp. 65–86

The swinging “we”

Framing the European Union international discourse

| Vesalius College, Brussels |

This contribution focuses on the implications of the institutional reform advanced by the Lisbon Treaty for the framing of discourses of European institutional actors. The article adopts a focused linguistic strategy aimed at identifying patterns of pronominal selection as useful tools to depict both the ways in which different EU actors in Brussels elaborate their sense of belonging, and also patterns of horizontal and vertical inter-institutional cooperation and conflict. The article firstly introduces the data and methodology employed in the analysis. Secondly, it sheds light on the main institutional arrangements established in the aftermath of Lisbon. Thirdly, it illustrates how referential/nomination strategies are on aggregate realised by interviewees. Finally, it presents an analysis of pronominal selection and contextualises the difficulties of individual actors working for the EU’s institutions in dealing with the current institutional structure.

Keywords: European Union, European External Action Service, European Diplomacy, Critical Discourse Analysis, Pronominal Selection
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Individuals, Institutions And The Making Of Eu International Discourses
  • 2.Method Of Analysis And Data
    • 2.1Method of analysis
    • 2.2Data and aims of the interviews
  • 3.Defining The Institutional Context In Brussels
  • 4.The Swinging We: The New Institutional Context And Diplomats’ Narratives
    • 4.1Pronominal Selection in the EU: Some general findings
    • 4.2Brussels arrangements: Friends or enemies?
  • 5.Conclusions – Discourse Analysis And The Swinging We
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 26 May 2015
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.14.1.04car
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