Gaitán en clave política: un análisis discursivo (1944-1948)

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of Jorge Eliecer Gaitan’s narrative between the years 1944 and 1948. With this aim in mind, I analyse ten speeches by the political leader which have been classified in two moments that we denominate iPor la restauracion moral de la Republica! (1944-1946), and iPor la reconquista! (1946-1948). Understanding the lasting centrality of Gaitan in Colombian political life, it is necessary to understand his specific way of constructing the political. Thus, we start from the hypothesis that Gaitan’s discursive articulation is populist. This proposition doesn’t guide us towards its ordinary meaning, but to Laclausian theory of hegemony and populism, which guides our analysis. Thereby, linking discourse theory with narrative semiotics, we locate Gaitan in a frame that allows us to understand him politically and to open new paths that would help us explain the centrality of his figure.