De-constructing Race and Identity in US Presidential Discourse: Barack Obama's Speech on Race

Abstract

Barack Obama�s �A More Perfect Union� speech, given amidst public outcry over statements made by his pastor, Reverend Jeremy Wright, brought the questions of race and racism to the forefront of his 2008 campaign. While the speech can be seen as Obama�s candid vision of race in America, it can also be interpreted as an elaborate scheme to de-construct the issues of race, racism, and identity in the United States. The paper analyzes the issues of race, racism and identity as reflected in this speech from a CDA perspective, on the assumption that all speech acts are embedded in the society and culture within which they are produced. It focuses on both contextual and linguistic aspects, highlighting the ways Obama delegitimizes and, hence, de-constructs, racist practices still prevalent in American society. The analysis focuses mainly on the use of recontextualization, and argues for a broader interpretation than the one traditionally proposed in the literature.

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