Thesis
French
ID: <
10670/1.x29mtx>
Abstract
This thesis is an experimental lexicometric analysis of the concept of national identity in political discourse. We mean by identity discourse, the discourses of otherness that encourages openness to a community or a withdrawal into a group, presented or perceived as a strong fortress in which subjects feel protected. Within these communities formed or desired, the expression of identity can be based on religious elements, tribal, ethnic, clanic, or racial orders. It can also be embeded in a common history, a fantasy or legend. Sometimes it is the reason and the opportunity to externalize certain fears of the alien, or simply hatred manifested in the form of discrimination, rights denial, exclusion and xenophobia, but it can also be expressed as opposed to exclusion, promoting the integration or living together. These types of discourse on identity are determined and structured by their framework of emergence. This framework dictates the contents which vary under the influence of several factors which in turn are organized on several levels of influences.Empirical evidence leads us to distinguish a first level where sociocultural and historical markers act, a second level where the contingency factors are involved, a third level which surrounds the immediate deployment of the speech, and a final level of operation where the personality and discursive strategy factors act. It is the combination of these levels that acts as factors structuring and determining the content and variability of identity discourses we highlighted in this thesis. It is for us to share the observation that the discourses of national identity constantly varies, adapting themselves to changes that occur in their context of emergence. To verify these empirical observations, we were led to formulate the hypothesis that the identity discourses are geometrically variables speeches, that are influenced by factors determining their structures and contents. This hypothesis was tested on an experimental corpus, which served as pretence to check the action of a few of these factors on political discourse. Support for this experiment was the speech of three Ivorian political players (Bedie, Gbagbo, Ouattara), in which we showed that the variations of their reference to national identity were related to the action of three situational variables, namely : the political status, alliances and war.The study conducted by means of lexicometry, has led to the conclusion that the identity discourse on "Ivorianness" called "Ivoirité" in Ivory Coast is a polymorphic speech, changing under the influence of situational variables, while sometimes having a strategic dimension. This speech is modular ; used as a formula, a kind of floating signifier in which ones put everything and anything as long as it relates to identity. The use of such speech could have unpredictable drift.Ultimately, we can easily say that this work on the discourse of Ivorianness in Ivory Coast is a task of deconstruction and denonciation of a formula which study opens up interesting perspectives, concerning in one hand the use of lexicometrics instruments, used to examine mental representations of concepts, and on the other hand as a technique for studying the evolution of mental conceptual universe.