Analysing Gazan Victimhood on Social Media: A Discursive Study through Van Dijk's Socio-Cognitive Framework

This article explores the discursive construction of victimhood on social media, specifically examining how the experiences of people living in Gaza are represented on Facebook. Drawing on van Dijk’s socio-cognitive framework, this study employed a thematic approach to analyse a dataset of 95 Facebook postings made by Gazans in response to the war following October 7, 2023. Data analysis revealed five themes that were central to Gazan victimhood. These themes include the negative other, deprivation of fundamental rights, sense of loss, positive self-description, and satisfaction with fate. While these themes emphasise the paucity of essentials, the profound loss of loved ones, and the view of others as hostile or indifferent, they also illuminate the resilience of the Gazan populace and their satisfaction with their destiny. Eight discursive strategies emerge in the identified themes: polarisation, concretisation, compassion move, self-identity descriptions, negative lexicalisation, victimisation, hyperbole, and warning. These strategies are intricately linked to the semantic and contextual models posited by van Dijk’s socio-cognitive framework. Constructing Gazans’ victimhood enhances their positive self-image, while fostering a negative image of the other. This study is hoped to enhance our understanding of how social media postings can be leveraged to construct and communicate the concept of victimhood.