Ada Colau: from Activist to Mayor. An analysis of Ada Colau´s Facebook ethos

Ada Colau, de activista a alcaldesa. Un análisis del ethos de Ada Colau en Facebook

doxa.comunicación | 27, pp. 43-62 | 43

July-December of 2018

ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978

How to cite this article:

Castelo-Heymann, S. (2018). Ada Colau: from Activist to Mayor. An analysis of Ada Colau´s Facebook ethos. Doxa Comunicación, 27, pp. 43-62.

https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n27a2

Santiago Castelo-Heymann. Degree in Political Science from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). Master’s De-gree in Political and Corporate Communication from the University of Navarra (UNAV). PhD Candidate in Com-munication at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF).

University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

[email protected]

ORCID: 0000-0003-3122-6224

Resumen:

Este trabajo propone analizar discursivamente la presentación de de la alcaldesa de Barcelona, Ada Colau, en un momento de afianza-miento de su identidad política disparado por su triunfo en las elec-ciones del 24 de mayo de 2015. A partir de un abordaje de las publi-caciones de la alcaldesa en su página personal de Facebook durante el primer año y medio de su mandato, estudiaremos la construcción discursiva del ethos de Colau. Consideraremos cinco tipos de ethos que hemos identificado en el corpus: activista, humanidad, política, alcaldesa, líder. Sostenemos que su ethos es sumamente complejo en tanto radica en la conjunción de diferentes rasgos, dando lugar a un yo multiforme que responde a la necesidad de Colau de legitimar su imagen pública desde un nuevo lugar de poder.

Palabras clave:

Ada Colau; Análisis del Discurso; Presentación de sí; Subjetivización de la política; Ethos.

Abstract:

This paper analyses the self-presentation of Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau in a period in which she had to consolidate her political identity as a result of her victory in the elections on May 25th 2015. Studying the Mayor’s posts on her personal Facebook site during her first year and a half in office, we will analyse the configuration of Colau’s discursive ethos. We will take into account five types of ethos we have identified in the corpus: that of activist, humanitarian, politician, mayor and leader. Based on the hypothesis that this ethos is extremely complex. We consider that her ethos is extremely complex due to the fact that it is based on various characteristics, which gives rise to a multi-form ‘I’ that fulfills Colau’s need to legitimize her public image from a new position of power.

Keywords:

Ada Colau; Discourse Analysis; Self-presentation; ‘Subjetivisation’ of politics; Ethos.

Received: 05/05/2018 - Accepted: 19/06/2018

Recibido: 05/05/2018 - Aceptado: 19/06/2018

1. Ada Colau, from activist to mayor

“I admit that I’m nervous and excited. Today a change begins in Barcelona, but a change in my life starts as well [...] Today I will enter the City Hall at 5:00 p.m. and will be invested with a position that inspires the utmost respect from myself: