Some Preliminary Thoughts Prompted by President Trump's 6 January Speech: Words, Enemies, Affordances. Issue 5 (4th July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Taylor, Max
• Is Part Of: Terrorism and political violence. Volume 33:Issue 5(2021)
• Page Start: 907
• Page End: 911
• Publication Date: 2021-07-04
• Subjects: LIWC -- linguistic analysis -- national interest -- affordance; Terrorism -- Periodicals; Violence -- Periodicals; 303.62505
• DOI: 10.1080/09546553.2021.1932337
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0954-6553

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The paper argues that in order to understand the events of 6 January we must look at events from a range of perspectives, two of which are identified—the narrow focus of a comparison of a linguistic analysis of the speech and its context, and the broader social and cultural context of a changing sense of American National Interest. It suggests that to understand the events of 6 January we need to conceptualise them as the product of a complex process where both aggregate and specific influences seem relevant, but whilst both offer necessary explanations neither in themselves provide a sufficient explanation of the event. The concept of affordance is suggested to perhaps provide the glue that may bind these and other influences together to facilitate the violence.