Manipulative Language in Campus Politics: Deconstructing Students’ Messages on Posters in some Ghanaian Universities

Abstract

The University Campus has often been seen as an important site for the publication of school-related political ideas of young people (Loader, Vromen, Xenor, Steel and Bungum (2015). Against the background that critical discourse analysis seeks to uncover the ideological assumptions that are hidden in the words of written text or oral speech, this study sets out to deconstruct the language of ‘welcome’ encoded in posters and banners by would-be student leaders on the campus of some universities in Ghana in order to reveal the ideological elements contained in these posters and banners. Using Critical Discourse Analysis and genre analysis as the analytical framework, the study showed a typical move pattern of engagement used by the aspiring student leaders on the posters. This involves names and images of the participants on the posters, welcome messages, advertised student-leader positions as well as provision of contacts (mobile phone and social media) to further extend the discourse. Also, the study, through critical discourse analysis, deconstructed the language of welcome used by the aspiring student-leaders by indicating how they used the language of welcome as a cover to establish their own ideological and political ambitions. These findings have implications for students who wish to vie for positions in future campus politics and by extension national politics.