Interview with Monika Brusenbauch Meislová: Discourse of self-legitimation

Monika Brusenbauch Meislová shares how passionate she is about the topic of her recent Journal of Language and Politics article, 'Discourse of self-legitimation: Self- and other-presentation in the European Parliament’s soft law on Brexit'.

Photo by Guillaume Périgois on Unsplash

What I love most about this work is that it never fails to surprise me – there is always something new to uncover about how language and politics are so deeply intertwined. Each step forward offers fresh perspectives, making the research feel vibrant and alive.

Why did you decide to write this piece?

I was drawn to this topic because it brings together two of my long-standing research interests. First, I have always been captivated by the European Parliament’s role in Brexit, especially how it has worked to raise its profile and influence in what was an exceptionally complex and high-stakes process. While the EP did not have a direct hand in negotiating Brexit deals, its ability to creatively assert itself was remarkable. It was not just passively giving assent at the end; it found clever ways to make its voice heard and influence the outcome, which I have found absolutely riveting to explore.

Second, my wider interest in Brexit as a discursive process has long been one of my absolute passions and was a huge factor in my decision to write this piece. I have always been fascinated by how political language shapes reality and vice versa, and UK-EU relations provide a wealth of opportunities to explore this. While so much of the discussion understandably focuses on British political figures such as David Cameron, Theresa May, or Boris Johnson, the EU institutions, including the European Parliament’s role, have been largely overlooked. That gap really intrigued me, and I saw a real opportunity to dig into it. Honestly, it has been one of those projects where you feel genuinely excited at every step.

What are the key takeaways?

The paper introduces a new conceptual framework that helps identify and interpret discursive practices of self-legitimation, applicable across a wide range of contexts. This framework offers a broad, versatile tool for understanding how actors, be they organizations or institutions, strategically use language to legitimize themselves. The framework draws on the works of prominent legitimation scholars and classifies self-legitimation into four primary dimensions: rationality-based, credibility-based, morality-based, and emotion-based. Building on this, the framework then integrates van Dijk’s concept of the ideological square in a sense of positive self-presentation and negative other-presentation, which provides for eight distinct discursive self-legitimation strategies. While positive self-presentation uses rationality, credibility, morality, and emotion to enhance an actor’s own image, negative other-presentation employs the same strategies to construct others in a negative light.

The article goes on to apply this framework to the fascinating case of Brexit and the European Parliament’s resolutions in the 2016-2023 period. Through the in-depth analysis, it demonstrates how legal instruments can be leveraged not only for traditional governance purposes but also as powerful tools for broader communicative purposes. The EP’s strategic use of these discursive practices in its soft law during the Brexit process demonstrates how actors can enhance their profile and influence even in situations where their formal role is limited. Ultimately, the findings broaden the traditional understanding of the purposes of EP resolutions by explicitly acknowledging them as powerful discursive resources for self-legitimation.

Where do you plan to go next in your research?

I am genuinely thrilled to continue diving into the fascinating world of discourses surrounding EU-UK relations - this has been such a rich and intellectually stimulating field for me. The ongoing evolution of these relations in the post-Brexit landscape is full of intriguing developments, constantly reshaping how both sides communicate and position themselves and the others amidst new political challenges. What I love most about this work is that it never fails to surprise me – there is always something new to uncover about how language and politics are so deeply intertwined. Each step forward offers fresh perspectives, making the research feel vibrant and alive.

Additionally, I have recently been awarded the Jean Monnet Chair in EU Digital Diplomacy by the European Commission, which opens up another thrilling avenue for my research. In this role, I will be focusing on how EU institutions use digital communications to self-legitimatize themselves and the EU as diplomatic actors, including in key areas such as climate change and the ongoing war in Ukraine. This will allow me to dive deeper into how institutions represent themselves and seek legitimacy in the fast-paced digital landscape, where social media and online platforms play a crucial role in shaping public perception. I am truly looking forward to where this research will take me. There is so much potential to uncover new insights into how institutions adapt to and navigate the digital age while tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Saying all of this out loud really reminds me how lucky I am to do work that I truly love - to have a chance to follow my curiosity and delve into topics I am so passionate about.