The construction of group identities and the positioning of ‘Irishness’ in computer-mediated siscourse surrounding the repeal of the Eighth Amendment

Simple item page
dc.availability.bitstreamembargoed
dc.check.date2027-09-30
dc.contributor.advisorHoward, Martinen
dc.contributor.advisorDevlin, Anne Marieen
dc.contributor.authorGrant, Ciara
dc.date.accessioned2022-09-21T13:51:29Z
dc.date.available2022-09-21T13:51:29Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.date.submitted2021
dc.description.abstractIn 2018 Ireland held a referendum proposing a repeal of an historic amendment to the Constitution which guaranteed the unborn child a right to life equal to that of the mother, effectively rendering abortion illegal in all but exceptional circumstances. The referendum on this divisive issue generated enormous public interest, resulting in highly publicised debates in both online and offline spheres. This study uses the online context of the referendum to examine identity construction and navigation by groups and individuals participating in computer-mediated discourse. Four major identity themes are identified in this study: national, gender, political, and religious. Data are collected from comments made by users on the public Facebook pages of major Irish news outlets. There are two major groups identified in this study: the Yes group which self-identifies as pro-choice and supports a Yes vote in the referendum, and the No group which self-identifies as pro- life and advocates a No vote which would retain the status quo. There is also a third group of Undecided voters, although there were few examples of these comments in the data corpus. Using a combined positioning theory and corpus-based approach to discourse analysis, the data corpus is analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods, including the analytical software tool AntConc. The study finds that there are two divergent Irish identities in this debate. The Yes group positions Ireland and its people as a modern nation, evidenced by their support of increased access to abortion. This stance carries a wider symbolism including a greater emphasis on gender equality and women’s rights, as well as a separation of Church and State. By comparison, it was found that the No group’s version of Irish identity is focused on retention of the traditional family unit at the centre of society, emphasised by a difference from Britain and informed by Catholic values and morals. The study also identified a high prevalence of trolling by both Yes and No users. This is a discursive feature that is unique to computer-mediated environments and is influenced by the nature of online communication itself.en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationGrant, C. 2021. The construction of group identities and the positioning of ‘Irishness’ in computer-mediated siscourse surrounding the repeal of the Eighth Amendment. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.en
dc.identifier.endpage234en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/13626
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.rights© 2021, Ciara Grant.en
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en
dc.subjectLinguisticsen
dc.subjectIdentityen
dc.subjectComputer mediated discourseen
dc.subjectAbortionen
dc.subjectSocial mediaen
dc.subjectDiscourse analysisen
dc.titleThe construction of group identities and the positioning of ‘Irishness’ in computer-mediated siscourse surrounding the repeal of the Eighth Amendmenten
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD - Doctor of Philosophyen
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Thesis with Corrections 2022 April (1).docx
Size:
1.92 MB
Format:
Microsoft Word XML
Description:
Full Text E-thesis (Word)
Thumbnail Image
Name:
3. 110315985 - Ciara Grant - Submission for Examination Form.pdf
Size:
461.08 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Submission for Examination Form
Thumbnail Image
Name:
GrantC_PhD2022.pdf
Size:
2.6 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Full Text E-thesis
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
5.2 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Research Theses
College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences - Doctoral Theses
French - Doctoral Theses