MORAL POLITICS IN 2019/2020 CROATIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
MORAL POLITICS IN 2019/2020 CROATIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Summary/Abstract: Political metaphor study has gained popularity in the last couple of decades with the emergence of Lakoff’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory and even more with the Moral Politics Theory. This study examines the metaphors used in the Croatian presidential elections by the two top candidates: Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Zoran Milanović in the campaign rally speeches in Zagreb. The objective is to determine the presence and distribution of George Lakoff’s Strict Father and Nurturant Parent paradigms of moral reasoning in the context of Croatian Politics and whether there is a link between family morality and metaphor choice. The research findings reveal positive evidence for Lakoff’s MPT (Moral Politics Theory). Furthermore, it reveals that politicians reason in terms of the nation is a family metaphor when discussing domestic policy but reason in terms of nation is a person when discussing foreign policy and war topics. Furthermore, the findings reveal that there is a link between the family models and ideology and metaphor choice.

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