Discourse Analysis Of Resistance Uses Linguistic Style In Arabic Social Media

Maisa Yahya Mahmoud Abu-Athreh, Ashinida Aladdin

Abstract


Social media has become a powerful tool for oppressed individuals and communities to express their resilience, protest, and resistance in conflict settings. Focusing on the 2023 Palestine-Israel conflict, this study examines the linguistic techniques used by Palestinians to express resilience, struggle, and solidarity in social media posts published on the Facebook accounts of Al Jazeera Channel and Palestine TV, as well as on the Telegram accounts of Gaza Now and Warlife3. It also examines the role of their language in preserving the identity, religion, and culture of the Palestinian community. Moreover, the study analyzes how linguistic narratives contribute to strengthening solidarity, unity, and hope among the Palestinian people. The study corpus is examined through the lens of Mediated Discourse Analysis proposed by Norris and Jones (2005) and Scollon (2001). The analysis showed a repertoire of linguistic strategies reflecting gender discourse and sociocultural resilience. While Palestinian men employed direct quotations and declarative structure to reinforce a tone of resistance and determination, Palestinian women used emotive language, rhetorical questions, metaphors, vocative forms, and repetition to humanize the struggle. Both genders used religious expressions to solidify cultural and spiritual resistance. Inclusive pronouns and reference to Jihad were used to construct collective solidarity. The findings contribute to the gendered resistance discourse by showing how gendered linguistic styles are used to reinforce resilience and foster solidarity in conflict settings. The findings expand MDA's applicability in examining narratives of resistance and collective empowerment.

Keywords


Gendered Resistance Discourse; Mediated Discourse Analysis; Resistance; Social Media; Struggle

References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18860/ijazarabi.v9i1.35728

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