Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Rights And Feelings: Marriage Equality And The Language Of Citizenship In Argentina And The United States, Julie Hollar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

By comparing the struggles for marriage equality in Argentina and the United States, this research elucidates the ways discursive change happens around high-profile policy issues, as well as how that process shapes the playing field for future movements. This work builds on scholarship concerning the construction of target populations, arguing that in contests over meaning, the social construction of the central actors shapes both dynamics and outcomes. It uses content analysis and discourse analysis to compare the constructions of gays and lesbians and the state across cases and to trace their impact on the discursive opportunity structure. It also takes …