Representation through interdiscursive references: A systemic functional (re)construction of Malala Yousufzai’s identity on Pakistani social media

Abstract

This article focuses on the way the identity of a particular person is (re)constructed by different groups of a society. For this purpose, this article takes the case study of Malala Yousafzai and discusses how her identity is (re)constructed and (mis)represented by different groups on Pakistani social media through particular discursive choices. For this purpose, it particularly focuses on interdiscursivity, and integrates it with systemic functional representation. The social media users construct Malala Yousafzai’s identity in such a way that the past events of her life are constantly (re)echoed and foregrounded in order to interpret her identity at present. Moreover, the past events of her life are recontexualized through implicit and explicit interdiscursive references.