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Social deconstruction and power negotiation

A discursive study of “Africa and the world” on TED talk

ORCiD logo with link | University of Lagos
 | University of Lagos
Published online: 18 December 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ps.21091.ire
Abstract
This study investigates how language functions as a vehicle for framing Africa in global discourse, arguing that social deconstruction begins with linguistic practices that either reinforce or challenge entrenched hierarchies. It examines strategies that depict Africa as politically unstable, socially disordered, and economically fragile, while also identifying counter-discourses that foreground African agency. Using Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the research explores textual, interdiscursive, and socio-historical dimensions. Data are triangulated from print texts and credible online sources to ensure validity and reliability. Findings reveal that Western discourse often portrays Africa through partial and stereotypical frames of deficiency and dependency. Yet, resistance discourses, both subtle and overt, show African voices actively negotiating identity and reclaiming agency. The study contributes to discourse scholarship by demonstrating how linguistic choices shape global perceptions of Africa and by advancing dialogic frameworks grounded in mutual respect, fairness, and equity in sociopolitical contexts.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Language: A form of identity construction
    • 2.2Resistance: Socio-discursive construction of power
    • 2.3Discourse: Tool for power negotiation and gender deconstruction
    • 2.4Historical (economic and political) context of Africa inducing power negotiation
      • 2.4.1The microcosm of Sierra Leone in power negotiation discourse
  • 3.Theoretical and methodological framework
  • 4.Data presentation and analysis
    • 4.1Pronouns as identity construction devices
      • 4.1.1Self-assertion through the first-person pronoun
      • 4.1.2Pronouns and group inclusion/exclusion
      • 4.1.3Polarity: Identity construction device
      • 4.1.4Public relations campaigns and advertising: Instruments of stereotype construction and identity negotiation
    • 4.2Fixing Africa through image deconstruction
      • 4.2.1Adjectives: Image deconstruction
      • 4.2.2Declaratives for image deconstruction
      • 4.2.3Power deconstruction through stereotype deconstruction
      • 4.2.4Metaphor for image deconstruction
    • 4.3Power negotiation strategies
      • 4.3.1Hypothetical statements for power negotiation
      • 4.3.2Rhetorical questions for power negotiation
      • 4.3.3Contrast and irony as power negotiation strategies
    • 4.4Power deconstruction as stereotype deconstruction technique
    • 4.5Public Relations (PR) campaign and advertisement as stereotype facilitator and identity enhancement technique
    • 4.6Contrast/Irony: Discourse strategy in social deconstruction
    • 4.7Relational synergy: Blueprint for power negotiation and social deconstruction
  • 5.Conclusion
  • AI use declaration
  • References
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