Rhetorical Strategies and Discursive Construction of Ideology: Critical Discourse Analysis of Nelson Mandela’s Speeches

Abstract

This study examines the ideological evolution in Nelson Mandela’s oratory, tracing his transition from resistance leader to unifying statesman. Although much is written about Mandela’s moral authority, less is understood about how his political ideology was discursively constructed and shifted over time. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this paper analyzes six major speeches from 1962 to 1999, representing three phases: trials and imprisonment, post‐release leadership, and presidency. The findings reveal a clear discursive trajectory: from confrontational, dichotomous discourse to inclusive, reconciliatory rhetoric aimed at forging a new national identity. Key markers include shifts in pronoun use (from “I” to “we”), metaphorical framing, and changing modality and argument structures. The study contributes to discourse studies, political communication, and postcolonial studies by showing how ideology is not static but is performed and transformed through language, especially in transitional political contexts.