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Article published In:
Language and Dialogue
Vol. 7:2 (2017) ► pp.189–212

Gender role reversal in political debate?

French politicians’ verbal and para-verbal strategies during the socialist primaries

 | University of Cyprus
 | University of Lorraine (France)
Focusing on the Aubry – Hollande debate that took place in the context of the 2011 French socialist party primaries, we observe a possible reversal of gender stereotypes and examine word choices as well as more subtle cues such as interruptions, hedges, etc. If the debate could be described as a stereotypical gender role-reversal, we suggest that these cues point to a more complex picture than a gender reversal, and that the pragmatics structuring the dialogue might be interpreted as a pattern of challenger/champion. Moreover contrasting press articles and comment in online forums on the same debate we invoke a ‘peri-performativity concept’ to explain the differences in interpretations of the politicians’ performances, and conclude that perlocutionary dimensions can be reinterpreted by dominant discourses, (de)/(re)-constructing the performativity of speech acts.
Keywords: Martine Aubry, François Hollande, media role, gendered leadership, paraverbal cues, verbal cues, performativity
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Is leadership gendered?
    • 2.1Macro, meso and micro-level of analysis
    • 2.2Women politicians: The lack of fit and overcoming it
    • 2.3Building a relational leadership, constructing a political ethos
  • 3.Representations, discourse and strategies in the socialist debate
    • 3.1Symbolic representations in the political field
    • 3.2The structural powers during the socialist campaign
  • 4.The micro level: Linguistic and para-verbal choices during the debate
    • 4.1The linguistic choices: Opposite rhetorical strategies
      • 4.1.1Core-left vs center-right positioning
      • 4.1.2Qualifying one’s speech
    • 4.2The para-verbal and non-verbal cues
      • 4.2.1Smiling
      • 4.2.2Body posture and gaze
    • 4.3Turns, interruptions, formulaic answers
  • 5.Peri-performativity, media and followers
    • 5.1The perlocutionary force and the media
    • 5.2The perlocutionary force and the forum participants
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References


This article is currently available as a sample article.

Published online: 27 October 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ld.7.2.03bai
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