Discursive practices in the language of protest: The case of #FixTheCountry demonstration in Ghana

Abstract

Several studies have explored the language of protests using different theories. However, using transitivity to investigate the language of protests is rare, denying us a nuanced understanding of the roles of participants, the agency of actions and how meaning is constructed in the discourse of protests. The study sought to examine how the #Fix-the-Country campaigners of Ghana used language to construct discursive practices. Employing an interpretive content analytical approach, we analysed 137 placards and banners used for the #Fix-the-Country demonstration held in Ghana in August 2021. The interpretive content analysis allowed us to explore the underlying meaning and implications of the language of the protesters. The transitivity analysis showed that discursive practices such as resistance were projected through the material process to demonstrate the actions, doings, and happenings the protesters expected from the government. Relational processes were used to construct disillusionment, and mental processes presented feelings of desire whose unfulfillment resulted in rage and dissatisfaction with the government. This study has implications for theory since it provides empirical support to some theoretical claims about transitivity. It also has imlications for understanding the expression of political dissent.