TY - JOUR
T1 - "To thine own self be true"
T2 - The perceived meanings and functions of political consistency
AU - Friedman, Elie
AU - Kampf, Zohar
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Cambridge University Press.
PY - 2020/2/1
Y1 - 2020/2/1
N2 - Being perceived as consistent is a crucial concern for political actors' in their efforts to mobilize public opinion. This study comprises an analysis of the self-reflexive performance of consistency by Israeli politicians, focusing on the definitions and types of 'consistency' in political talk and their consequences. Through an analysis of 194 meta-discursive statements between 2006 and 2017, we illustrate that consistency constitutes a spatiotemporal coordination among cognitions, actions (words and deeds), and the external world, while also being viewed as potentially transforming political reality. Perceived as a sought-after value indicative of truth-telling, determination, and clarity, political actors view consistency as an essential character trait, associated with ideological fortitude, and a basis for practical policy realization.
AB - Being perceived as consistent is a crucial concern for political actors' in their efforts to mobilize public opinion. This study comprises an analysis of the self-reflexive performance of consistency by Israeli politicians, focusing on the definitions and types of 'consistency' in political talk and their consequences. Through an analysis of 194 meta-discursive statements between 2006 and 2017, we illustrate that consistency constitutes a spatiotemporal coordination among cognitions, actions (words and deeds), and the external world, while also being viewed as potentially transforming political reality. Perceived as a sought-after value indicative of truth-telling, determination, and clarity, political actors view consistency as an essential character trait, associated with ideological fortitude, and a basis for practical policy realization.
KW - Consistency
KW - ideology
KW - meta-discourse
KW - political discourse
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85072278542&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S004740451900068X
DO - 10.1017/S004740451900068X
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AN - SCOPUS:85072278542
SN - 0047-4045
VL - 49
SP - 89
EP - 113
JO - Language in Society
JF - Language in Society
IS - 1
ER -