Political correctness or contested politics?
LE3 .A278 2017
2017
Whitehall, Geoffrey
Acadia University
Bachelor of Arts
Honours
Politics
The aim of this project is to investigate the contested nature of political correctness. As a concept, political correctness appears to mean different things to different people. The main objective of this thesis is to answer the question of why political correctness appears to be so divisive. To engage in this discussion, I claim that political correctness contains competing discourses that allows for different meanings. I explore three of the dominant discourses that are embedded within political correctness, 1) freedom of speech; 2) censorship; and 3) moral panic. Each discourse demonstrates a different context that political correctness is represented, however they are not political correctness. The discourse of moral panic however creates a framework for discussing freedom of speech and censorship. Ultimately, I argue that political correctness incorporates different discourses that allow it to be utilized for different political ends. It is the coming together of these discourses that shapes its meaning.
The author retains copyright in this thesis. Any substantial copying or any other actions that exceed fair dealing or other exceptions in the Copyright Act require the permission of the author.
https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:2108
