The Images of Giant Corporations in 21st-Century American Politics

Abstract

This dissertation uses content analysis to explore the Congressional Record and Congressional Hearings as artifacts providing insight into a specific thematic political discourse in the United States from 2000 to 2020: what I have termed the big corporation hostility discourse. This dissertation is situated within the semantic tradition of communication study, which focuses on the social construction of public perception via language, knowledge, information and messages, often with a focus on mass media and political discourses. In the discourse of big corporation hostility, participants attempt to associate, directly or indirectly, certain political and economic issues with the image of big corporations. The discourse creates a narrative in which certain social groups take up their rhetorical positions as the asserted or implied victims of corporate interests. It is also a discourse marked by the sentiment of indignation with respect to the actions of big corporations, and in which all offering their reasoned views are cast in the role of serving “the American people”, in contrast to corporate interests.This dissertation has touched on a topic or theme within political discourse in the United States that has not been systematically theorized to date. It contributes theoretical tools for understanding one of the manifestations of this class consciousness and conflict in the contemporary politics. This research also inspires related research in the broader context, including but not limited to effects of the discourse, different forms and variations of the reproduction of the discourse, and comparative international studies.