To Authenticate Opinion and (Re-)draw the boundaries of the Public Sphere

Signe Kjær Jørgensen (1)

1 UCPH - University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet

The text aims to explore the explanatory potential of the concept of authenticity to identify successful introductions of topics previously considered as controversial in the Danish public sphere from 2005 and onwards. The theoretical point of departure is the rhetorical assumption that the individual is culturally and socially engaged and intends to persuade her audience to adopt or at least percieve as legitimate her ideas and proposals as she articulates them. This rhetorical assumption is complemented by a combined discourse theoretical and critical discourse analytical methodology. The central concepts of hegemony and struggles of meaning are adopted from discourse theory to conceptualise articulation of opinions and the temporary fixation of boundaries of the public sphere. However the actual analysis of public deliberation will be carried out following the guidelines and concepts for textual analysis proposed by Norman Fairclough in his textbook ‘Analysing Discourse'.

Keywords: Religious claims; public sphere; Denmark; legitimacy; critical linguistics; religion; authenticity; Charles Taylor; Ruth Wodak; Norman Fairclough; Lilie Chouliaraki

Domains: Religions; Linguistics

Signe Kjær Jørgensen. To Authenticate Opinion and (Re-)draw the boundaries of the Public Sphere. Rhetorical Citizenship, May 2008, Copenhagen, Denmark. ⟨hprints-00286401⟩