Activation and Passivation of Social Actors in Presidential Rhetoric: a Study of John F. Kennedy's SpeechesKolenko, Maša (Avtor) Plemenitaš, Katja (Mentor) Van Leeuwencritical discourse analysisJohn F. KennedyspeechesThis master's thesis examines the representation of social actors in four historically significant speeches by President John F. Kennedy. The purpose of the study is to examine the development of Kennedy’s rhetoric through the representation of the most frequent active and passive social actors, and to examine whether they are represented through individualization or assimilation. The method used for the qualitative analysis is Theo van Leeuwen's socio-semantic framework within Critical Discourse Analysis, focusing on activation, passivation, individualization and assimilation. The empirical part consists of the analysis of the Inaugural Address, the Address to the United Nations General Assembly, the Address at the University of Washington and the Televised Address to the Nation on Civil Rights. The results confirm that active social actors are more common than passive ones. The American people are predominantly represented as active social actors, while American opponents are rarely represented in either role. Social actors on both sides are mostly represented as groups, while the only individualized social actor is the President himself. The study demonstrates how language determines the roles of political leaders, institutions and social groups, and how political discourse shapes perceptions of responsibility, authority and citizenship.M. Kolenko20262026-07-23 15:12:46Magistrsko delo/naloga98989sl