Download This PaperConstruction of Muslim Identity: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Obama’s Speech at Cairo
Electronic Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 1 (I), 1-16
16 Pages Posted: 2 Jun 2020 Last revised: 3 Sep 2020
Date Written: April 14, 2020
Abstract
President Obama’s speech delivered at Cairo in 2009 is considered to be a historical event in the history of the relationship between Muslims and the West. The speech was applauded for its eloquence and rhetoric. It was appreciated among the Muslims and the Americans alike since it promised for treating Muslims as partners and not as patrons anymore and depicted Muslims as the precursors of the human civilization. However, the centuries-old tinge of us and them was observed in the contents of the speech. Therefore, the speech was dissected with the tool of CDA, as proposed by Van Dijk , to reach the underlying socio-cognitive makeup of the speaker. The analysis revealed that Muslims to Obama / West are still the violent extremists, intolerant, hostage keepers, educationally and technologically backward and in fact the out-groups despite their collaboration in the war against terrorism.
Keywords: Obama’s The New Beginning, collective Muslim identity, Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive model
JEL Classification: 100
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation