Project

Critical Discourse Analysis of the Use of Luganda Proverbs

Program

African Humanities Program Postdoctoral Fellowships

Department

African Languages - Luganda

Abstract

African proverbs are considered to have significant social functions in various communities where they are used, particularly when interlocutors exhibit some authority and oratorical skills in using them. By principally employing Critical Discourse Analysis, this study uses Luganda proverbs to investigate the connection between social relations, knowledge, and power in ongoing conversations. It examines how proverb performance reflects contemporary social life of the interlocutors. Specifically, the study examines how proverbs are initiated, maintained, reproduced, and transformed within social, economic, political, and historical contexts. The study contributes to our understanding of how proverb use enacts power relations, re-negotiates identities, and facilitates intertextual understanding of broader social and political currents, as well as elegant and artistic performances in daily social life.