The lurking fear in Estado Novo’s presidential inaugural addresses (1935-1974)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26512/les.v26i2.55697

Keywords:

ethos, emotion, presidential speech, dictatorship, Estado Novo

Abstract

Framed within a discursive-enunciative perspective of Discourse Analysis, this article aims to analyze the construction of fear in the seven presidential inauguration speeches from the period of the Portuguese dictatorial regime, Estado Novo (1933-1974). Methodologically, we draw on the concepts of emotional topics, ethos, and Political Science studies for the analysis. We conclude that (a) fear is constructed through the creation of a worldview dominated by insecurity and uncertainty; (b) an image of the President as a savior is built; and (c) fear served the purposes of subordination and popular demobilization.

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Author Biography

Micaela Aguiar, Universidade do Minho

Assistant professor at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto. She holds a PhD in Language Sciences, specializing in Discourse Analysis, from the University of Minho, since 2021. She has a degree in European Languages and Literatures and a master's degree in Portuguese and Comparative Linguistics. She has worked on several funded research projects, including PortLinguE - Multilingual Portal for Specialized Linguistic Resources and PAFSE (Partnerships for Scientific Education). She is currently the editor-in-chief of H2D - Revista de Humanidades Digitais (Journal of Digital Humanities).

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Published

2026-03-29

How to Cite

Aguiar, M. (2026). The lurking fear in Estado Novo’s presidential inaugural addresses (1935-1974). Papers of Language and Society, 26(2), 74–90. https://doi.org/10.26512/les.v26i2.55697

Issue

Vol. 26 No. 2 (2025): Número temático Avaliação em contextos de ensino e aprendizagem de línguas: consequências educacionais, sociais, políticas e éticas e Fluxo contínuo

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Artigos

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