Macron et l’Europe: Pas de ligne rouge, que des horizons ? Une analyse de l’ethos dans le discours « Initiative pour l’Europe » prononcé par Emmanuel Macron à la Sorbonne le 26 septembre 2017

Abstract

In this study, a discourse analysis focusing on the speaker's self-image, ethos, is conducted. The analysis looks at a speech regarding "a new initiative for Europe" given by the French President Emmanuel Macron at La Sorbonne the 26th of September 2017. The research questions asked looks at the characteristics of Macron's ethos in this speech and what role this ethos plays in Macron's arguments in his speech. Concerning the construction of Macron's ethos, the use of the pronoun "we" plays an important role, therefor it seemed wise to also look at the concept of a collective ethos. This theoretical choice is legitimized by the fact that it is interesting to analyse the collective ethos in the context of a discourse on European integration. The analysis shows that there are a number of attributes related to what Macron expresses in his speech that can be referred to as elements of his ethos, and that this ethos is used in the speech for several purposes. Macron is undoubtedly one of the main representatives of a line where more European integration is the answer to many societal challenges, which is visible in his speech and characterizes his ethos to a large extent.