No Cover Image

E-Thesis 326 views

Identity is everything: A discursive analysis of in-group identity construction on radical right Twitter / Keighley Perkins

Swansea University Author: Keighley Perkins

  • E-Thesis – open access under embargo until: 7th May 2028

DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.69488

Abstract

Recent riots have demonstrated the reach of the radical right in contemporary UK society and the role social media can play in how those affiliated with this political ideology interact with one another. It is on platforms, such as Twitter/X, where radical right groups (RRGs) have access to a wide r...

Full description

Published: Swansea, Wales, UK 2025
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Lorenzo-Dus, Nuria ; Nouri, Lella
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69488
first_indexed 2025-05-09T14:28:23Z
last_indexed 2025-05-10T08:17:58Z
id cronfa69488
recordtype RisThesis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2025-05-09T15:38:19.4902050</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>69488</id><entry>2025-05-09</entry><title>Identity is everything: A discursive analysis of in-group identity construction on radical right Twitter</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>a972df0322bf59c456cd2b41eca15804</sid><firstname>Keighley</firstname><surname>Perkins</surname><name>Keighley Perkins</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2025-05-09</date><deptcode>CACS</deptcode><abstract>Recent riots have demonstrated the reach of the radical right in contemporary UK society and the role social media can play in how those affiliated with this political ideology interact with one another. It is on platforms, such as Twitter/X, where radical right groups (RRGs) have access to a wide range of individuals sympathetic to their movement who can be recruited and radicalised. Previous research has identified the role identities play in this radicalisation process and, therefore, emphasises the importance of investigating the ways in-group identities are constructed by RRGs to effectively disrupt them. The current study analyses all tweets shared by the English Defence League (EDL), Siege Culture (SC), and the UK and Ireland branch of Generation Identity (GI UKRI) between 2017 and 2019, provided to the study by UK law enforcement. The data comprises of 4,686 tweets, 78,471 words and 774 images. Using Du Bois&#x2019; (2007) stance framework, the study examines the social (RRG) identities enacted by the EDL, SC and GI UKRI. Stance-taking was supported by discourse analysis approaches that focused on legitimation, self-praise, blame and (im)politeness. Cumulatively, this analysis revealed three identities &#x2013; the campaigner, the hero and the victim &#x2013; with the former being the most prevalent across all three groups. The study, therefore, builds on existing work on extremist in-group identities by demonstrating the importance of how the in-group do politics to their in-group identities, despite disinterest in entering the political mainstream. Stance analysis also enabled the groups to be understood from their own perspective, providing a tool with which they could be compared ideologically. In this way, the current study has an applied functionality with possible implications for policing practice by providing the means through which emerging groups can be understood and positioned on the radical right spectrum in relation to previously established movements.</abstract><type>E-Thesis</type><journal/><volume/><journalNumber/><paginationStart/><paginationEnd/><publisher/><placeOfPublication>Swansea, Wales, UK</placeOfPublication><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic/><keywords>identity, radical right, discourse analysis</keywords><publishedDay>7</publishedDay><publishedMonth>5</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2025</publishedYear><publishedDate>2025-05-07</publishedDate><doi>10.23889/SUthesis.69488</doi><url/><notes>ORCiD identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9667-9403</notes><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Culture and Communications School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>CACS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><supervisor>Lorenzo-Dus, Nuria ; Nouri, Lella</supervisor><degreelevel>Doctoral</degreelevel><degreename>Ph.D</degreename><degreesponsorsfunders>ESRC Wales DTP</degreesponsorsfunders><apcterm/><funders>ESRC Wales DTP</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2025-05-09T15:38:19.4902050</lastEdited><Created>2025-05-09T15:23:17.8915273</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences</level><level id="2">School of Culture and Communication - English Language, Tesol, Applied Linguistics</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Keighley</firstname><surname>Perkins</surname><order>1</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>Under embargo</filename><originalFilename>Under embargo</originalFilename><uploaded>2025-05-09T15:34:12.2021697</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>7738357</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>E-Thesis &#x2013; open access</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><embargoDate>2028-05-07T00:00:00.0000000</embargoDate><documentNotes>Copyright: The Author, Keighley Perkins, 2025.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2025-05-09T15:38:19.4902050 v2 69488 2025-05-09 Identity is everything: A discursive analysis of in-group identity construction on radical right Twitter a972df0322bf59c456cd2b41eca15804 Keighley Perkins Keighley Perkins true false 2025-05-09 CACS Recent riots have demonstrated the reach of the radical right in contemporary UK society and the role social media can play in how those affiliated with this political ideology interact with one another. It is on platforms, such as Twitter/X, where radical right groups (RRGs) have access to a wide range of individuals sympathetic to their movement who can be recruited and radicalised. Previous research has identified the role identities play in this radicalisation process and, therefore, emphasises the importance of investigating the ways in-group identities are constructed by RRGs to effectively disrupt them. The current study analyses all tweets shared by the English Defence League (EDL), Siege Culture (SC), and the UK and Ireland branch of Generation Identity (GI UKRI) between 2017 and 2019, provided to the study by UK law enforcement. The data comprises of 4,686 tweets, 78,471 words and 774 images. Using Du Bois’ (2007) stance framework, the study examines the social (RRG) identities enacted by the EDL, SC and GI UKRI. Stance-taking was supported by discourse analysis approaches that focused on legitimation, self-praise, blame and (im)politeness. Cumulatively, this analysis revealed three identities – the campaigner, the hero and the victim – with the former being the most prevalent across all three groups. The study, therefore, builds on existing work on extremist in-group identities by demonstrating the importance of how the in-group do politics to their in-group identities, despite disinterest in entering the political mainstream. Stance analysis also enabled the groups to be understood from their own perspective, providing a tool with which they could be compared ideologically. In this way, the current study has an applied functionality with possible implications for policing practice by providing the means through which emerging groups can be understood and positioned on the radical right spectrum in relation to previously established movements. E-Thesis Swansea, Wales, UK identity, radical right, discourse analysis 7 5 2025 2025-05-07 10.23889/SUthesis.69488 ORCiD identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9667-9403 COLLEGE NANME Culture and Communications School COLLEGE CODE CACS Swansea University Lorenzo-Dus, Nuria ; Nouri, Lella Doctoral Ph.D ESRC Wales DTP ESRC Wales DTP 2025-05-09T15:38:19.4902050 2025-05-09T15:23:17.8915273 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - English Language, Tesol, Applied Linguistics Keighley Perkins 1 Under embargo Under embargo 2025-05-09T15:34:12.2021697 Output 7738357 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true 2028-05-07T00:00:00.0000000 Copyright: The Author, Keighley Perkins, 2025. true eng
title Identity is everything: A discursive analysis of in-group identity construction on radical right Twitter
spellingShingle Identity is everything: A discursive analysis of in-group identity construction on radical right Twitter
Keighley Perkins
title_short Identity is everything: A discursive analysis of in-group identity construction on radical right Twitter
title_full Identity is everything: A discursive analysis of in-group identity construction on radical right Twitter
title_fullStr Identity is everything: A discursive analysis of in-group identity construction on radical right Twitter
title_full_unstemmed Identity is everything: A discursive analysis of in-group identity construction on radical right Twitter
title_sort Identity is everything: A discursive analysis of in-group identity construction on radical right Twitter
author_id_str_mv a972df0322bf59c456cd2b41eca15804
author_id_fullname_str_mv a972df0322bf59c456cd2b41eca15804_***_Keighley Perkins
author Keighley Perkins
author2 Keighley Perkins
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUthesis.69488
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - English Language, Tesol, Applied Linguistics{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - English Language, Tesol, Applied Linguistics
document_store_str 0
active_str 0
description Recent riots have demonstrated the reach of the radical right in contemporary UK society and the role social media can play in how those affiliated with this political ideology interact with one another. It is on platforms, such as Twitter/X, where radical right groups (RRGs) have access to a wide range of individuals sympathetic to their movement who can be recruited and radicalised. Previous research has identified the role identities play in this radicalisation process and, therefore, emphasises the importance of investigating the ways in-group identities are constructed by RRGs to effectively disrupt them. The current study analyses all tweets shared by the English Defence League (EDL), Siege Culture (SC), and the UK and Ireland branch of Generation Identity (GI UKRI) between 2017 and 2019, provided to the study by UK law enforcement. The data comprises of 4,686 tweets, 78,471 words and 774 images. Using Du Bois’ (2007) stance framework, the study examines the social (RRG) identities enacted by the EDL, SC and GI UKRI. Stance-taking was supported by discourse analysis approaches that focused on legitimation, self-praise, blame and (im)politeness. Cumulatively, this analysis revealed three identities – the campaigner, the hero and the victim – with the former being the most prevalent across all three groups. The study, therefore, builds on existing work on extremist in-group identities by demonstrating the importance of how the in-group do politics to their in-group identities, despite disinterest in entering the political mainstream. Stance analysis also enabled the groups to be understood from their own perspective, providing a tool with which they could be compared ideologically. In this way, the current study has an applied functionality with possible implications for policing practice by providing the means through which emerging groups can be understood and positioned on the radical right spectrum in relation to previously established movements.
published_date 2025-05-07T05:24:04Z
_version_ 1851641188291969024
score 11.089988

Similar Items