IPEHCS   26259
INSTITUTO PATAGONICO DE ESTUDIOS DE HUMANIDADES Y CIENCIAS SOCIALES
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Falling Stars and Sinking Ships: Framing and Metaphor in Cartoons About Brexit
Autor/es:
ANA PEDRAZZINI; ALBERTO GODIOLI
Revista:
Journal of European Studies
Editorial:
Sage Journals
Referencias:
Lugar: London; Año: 2019 vol. 3-4 p. 1 - 22
ISSN:
0047-2441
Resumen:
The present study provides a systematic analysis of 119 satirical cartoons on Brexit, published by European and non-European artists between 23 May and 30 June 2016. Particular attention is paid to the cartoonists´ use of metaphor scenarios (according to Musolff´s definition, figurative mini-narratives generated by one or more metaphors), and to their crucial role in framing the possible causes and consequences of Brexit. Our analysis yielded the following key findings: 1) Most cartoons take a rather generic stance against or in favour of Brexit, without directly engaging with specific arguments; on the other hand, argumentative simplification tends to coexist with rhetorical complexity. 2) Several Remain and Leave cartoons engage with the same scenarios, often turning them against each other through the rhetorical strategy known as trumping; beyond the realm of satirical cartoons, metaphor scenarios also provide a shared conceptual repertoire used by both sides of the Brexit debate. 3) Personification is far more frequently used to depict the UK than the EU. This may be due to the UK being assigned a more active role, as well as the greater difficulty of representing the EU through one single person (be it a politician or a symbolic figure). 4) In most Remain cartoons, metaphor scenarios point towards extreme and irreversible outcomes for the UK. This particular inclination to hyperbole can be seen as a way to mirror the excesses of the populist rhetoric used by Leave supporters, thus compensating for the Remainers´ relatively dispassionate language.