Exploring Legitimization of Religio-Politico Discursive Practices: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

The current study examines the legitimacy of religio-politico discursive practices prevalent in the novel a case study of exploding mangoes (2008) by Muhammad Hanif. This text is a cut-throat satire on the military interference in state affairs. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is used as a major method under the theoretical lens of legitimization theory to execute the study. The major character of the novel, General Zia ul Haq, exercises his powers and controls the government of Pakistan by the takeover of the military forces till his death in an aircraft crash on 17 August 1988 in Bahawalpur. On multiple levels, Hanif reveals the religio-political mechanisms wielded by the titled political and religious stooges. The theory of Legitimization interprets how power structures legalize their authority on social, political, and religious groundings. The study also underscores the religiosity imposed by Zia under the pretext of Islamization in this particular era. The study's objective is to spotlight various doctrines of religio-political machinery used to manipulate the political system in the 1980s.