Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Synen på den forna kolonin: En analys av The Telegraphs representation av Zimbabwes misslyckande som stat

Lonnakko, Pia LU (2012) STVK01 20121
Department of Political Science
Abstract
A postcolonial critic has been articulated towards the failed state literature saying that it places failed states in the third world in a position of deviancy from western states. This thesis examines if the criticism against that literature also has any empirical relevance by studying in which way Zimbabwe, seen as a failed state, is portrayed by the media in Great Britain. This is done by a discourse analysis conducted on one of Britain’s largest newspapers, The Telegraph, during the Zimbabwean presidential election in June 2008. The discourse reveals a description of Zimbabwe as a failed state that, to some degree, gives support to the postcolonial critic. Where negative traits such as sick and savage are given to the indicators that... (More)
A postcolonial critic has been articulated towards the failed state literature saying that it places failed states in the third world in a position of deviancy from western states. This thesis examines if the criticism against that literature also has any empirical relevance by studying in which way Zimbabwe, seen as a failed state, is portrayed by the media in Great Britain. This is done by a discourse analysis conducted on one of Britain’s largest newspapers, The Telegraph, during the Zimbabwean presidential election in June 2008. The discourse reveals a description of Zimbabwe as a failed state that, to some degree, gives support to the postcolonial critic. Where negative traits such as sick and savage are given to the indicators that most strongly states that Zimbabwe is a failed state: the violence, the failed presidential election and its economic situation during 2008. It also gives a clue to how the power relations between the former colony and its former colonizer are constructed in the discourse. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Lonnakko, Pia LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK01 20121
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Failed states, Zimbabwe, discourse, Great Britain, post-colonialism
language
Swedish
id
2971142
date added to LUP
2012-09-24 11:06:23
date last changed
2012-09-24 11:06:23
@misc{2971142,
  abstract     = {{A postcolonial critic has been articulated towards the failed state literature saying that it places failed states in the third world in a position of deviancy from western states. This thesis examines if the criticism against that literature also has any empirical relevance by studying in which way Zimbabwe, seen as a failed state, is portrayed by the media in Great Britain. This is done by a discourse analysis conducted on one of Britain’s largest newspapers, The Telegraph, during the Zimbabwean presidential election in June 2008. The discourse reveals a description of Zimbabwe as a failed state that, to some degree, gives support to the postcolonial critic. Where negative traits such as sick and savage are given to the indicators that most strongly states that Zimbabwe is a failed state: the violence, the failed presidential election and its economic situation during 2008. It also gives a clue to how the power relations between the former colony and its former colonizer are constructed in the discourse.}},
  author       = {{Lonnakko, Pia}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Synen på den forna kolonin: En analys av The Telegraphs representation av Zimbabwes misslyckande som stat}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}