(De-)constructing New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern’s initiative to wear the hijab after the Christchurch terrorist attack

Abstract

This paper examines the discursive construction of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after she wore a veil following the unprecedented terror attack in two mosques in the city of Christchurch in 2019. The articles analyzed are collected from three main newspapers published in New Zealand’s three main cities. Analyzed using principles and tools from Critical Discourse Studies (CDS) and Argumentum Model of Topics (AMT) more specifically, the articles reveal key arguments from both sides i.e. in support of and against this unparalleled initiative on behalf of a political leader in the western world. On the one hand, the majority of the news articles under analysis portray PM’s initiative as one that attempts to mitigate tension and conflict while bringing solidarity to a grief-stricken nation; and thus, are based on the ‘locus from ontological implications’. While the perspectives that oppose the initiative vary from explicit racist ones that present Muslims as threat to Zealand, to those who strongly believe such actions support the women oppression. Through a (de-)construction of the arguments opposing this move, the findings demonstrate that the opposition towards PM’s initiative is based on two main loci namely the ‘locus from correlates’ and the ‘locus from termination and setting up’