Tracking the discourse of nationalism: the falklands war anniversary in the british press

Identifier:  TDX:1961

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX1961

Authors:  Bellot, Andrea Roxana

Abstract:
The Malvinas /Falklands War was fought in 1982 between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the sovereignty of a small group of islands in the South Atlantic. Nationalisms played a key role in this conflict, since the prestige of the nation had to be defended. The press was a key mechanism in the promotion of nationalist identities during the war, triggering patriotic feelings and serving as a vehicle for political propaganda. The year 2012 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the war, amidst a revival of the conflict due to the Argentine demand that the issue of sovereignty be reconsider. The purpose of this research is to explore how the discourse of nationalism was constructed and developed by the British press regarding the commemoration of the war. The thesis will offer an analysis of language and press imagery of a selection of tabloid and quality British national newspapers of the year 2012.