Institutional enmity: Media constructions of reality during times of peace
Abstract
In the war of words between the superpowers which occurred during Ronald Reagan's first presidential term, the expression of outright hostility was not difficult to recognize. What became problematic for both sides, however, was the prospect of peace. The formal inauguration of Perestroika in 1984 posed new challenges for international discourse. The superpowers at that time found their existing vocabularies obsolete. In "saving face", new strategies for communication developed, creating a turn away from blatant invectives toward subtle, "hidden" rhetoric. Termed "institutional enmity", this latter phase is the focus of this research. By tracing such subtleties in language during times of peace, enduring ideologies of Americans and Soviets are exposed. Grammatical subject terms found within editorials of both nations are the units of analysis of this dissertation. When these nouns are hierarchically arranged, they identify various "levels of abstraction", ranging from discrete person referents to broader social collectivities. As the operationalized version of institutional enmity, different levels of abstraction provide clues to how reality is constructed by media. After analyzing self-evaluations and assessments of the adversary, the ideals of "individualism", "socialism", "accountability" and "diplomacy" are revealed. These results suggest that, while the form of rhetoric may change, the substance of ideology remains intact.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Wasburn, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Social research|Sociology|Political science
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