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ABSTRACT
The unity of a nation is founded on an ‘us/them’ opposition that creates a ‘constitutive outsider’ within or outside the nation state. The formation of national identities is therefore an outcome of internal conflicts. Using Derrida’s deconstructionist approach, this article extends the language of difference beyond the human friend/enemy frontier in forming national imaginations to include the creation of a constitutive outsider through agitations against commercial brands. It is argued that the ‘Other’ in national identity can be commercial actors, especially when the homeland’s internal outsider emanates from anti-brand narratives against established local brands. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is used to illustrate how the anti-brand flare-ups in a spontaneous call for product boycott and buycott in a Kenyan Facebook group covertly united the nation through the use of the exclusive and inclusive ‘we’ of consumer nationalism. The exclusive ‘we’ in Facebook comments brought together the reader and the writer, with the outsider being the boycotted brand, while with the inclusive ‘we’ of reader, writer, and good brand, nationhood was seen in comments campaigning for Kenyans to ‘buycott’ the brand. It is proposed that anti-brand activism be considered ‘resistance’ that creates a constitutive outsider − the enemy around whom the nation is reproduced.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. Details about the group can be found at the following address: https://www.facebook.com/groups/528794620491396/about/. Accessed on 25th November 2020.
2. Zuku is a Kenyan cable and satellite entertainment and communication services provider. In its own words, the company claims to be ‘a homegrown East African brand under Wananchi Group, established to make quality home entertainment and communication services accessible to a rapidly growing, choice-conscious African middle class. Zuku TV services have been successfully launched in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, and most recently Zambia, with aggressive plans to roll out to more countries in the near future.’ (http://www.zuku.co.ke/about-zuku, accessed on 07th November 2024). Zuku’s main competitors are Safaricom (Kenyan), StarTimes Media (Chinese), and MultiChoice (South African).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
David Katiambo
David Katiambo is an experienced television producer working as the Deputy Director (Educational Broadcasting) at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). Prior to joining KICD, David was a lecturer for 15 years, first in Maseno University, then Technical University of Kenya and the United States International University – Africa. His research interests are interdisciplinary application of discourse theory and deconstruction to nation building, international relations, agonistic democracy and neoliberalism in the context of new media. David is also interested in improving public service media. He holds a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of South Africa.