Koenig, Kacie

"Presidential Rhetoric and the Racialization of the War on Drugs"

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Major: Poltical Science with a minor in Psychology

Junior, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

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Abstract

My research paper examines presidential speeches on drug control strategy, paying special attention to race. I engage in discourse analysis with the intent of unearthing the hidden web of relationships amongst language, symbolic leadership, drug policy, crime control, racism, and state-sponsored social control. Guided by sociopolitical theories of contemporary thinkers, I conduct my own original research by analyzing the speeches of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush, with a special focus on the ways these national leaders connect race, socioeconomic class, and drug use. My research ultimately illustrated that these three presidents -- three influential architects of the War on Drugs -- repeatedly construct a negative and even hostile discourse that attacks inner-city communities and crack users. This study demonstrates the need for further research on the relationship between presidential leadership, state-sponsored racism, and institutionalized racial violence.

Class: Honors Seminar PSC 393

Language and Politics

Professor: Catherine May

Department of Political Science