2026-09-21T10:30:02Zhttps://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/server/oai/request

oai:null:10339/898672026-09-02T15:58:35Zcom_10339_14934col_10339_38132

Kokkonos, Kristina 2018-01-17T09:35:17Z 2018-01-17T09:35:17Z 2017 https://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/handle/10339/89867 This thesis involves an analysis of media responses to Beyoncé’s Super Bowl 50 halftime performance of the song “Formation.” The first method is a qualitative thematic analysis that aims to answer two research questions: 1) What themes are presented within liberal and conservative media responses? 2) How are these themes and their dimensions framed within each type of response? I predicted that liberal sources favored the performance while conservative sources rejected it because of oppositional interpretations of two key elements: Beyoncé’s support of Black liberation movements and her insertion of political speech into American football. The second method is a rhetorical analysis via the concept of the rhetorical enthymeme. I argue that the conservative framings of themes within the media’s response utilize unstated assumptions that are rooted in the ideological principles of conservatism. These include a respect for law enforcement, an embodiment of patriotism and, ultimately, a connection to whiteness and racism. Because the conservative media author or speaker has an audience of media consumers who share a conservative worldview, he or she presents arguments (including the condemnation of Beyoncé’s performance) based on these unstated assumptions. en Wake Forest University "The Day Beyoncé Turned Black": An Analysis of Media Responses to Beyoncé's Super Bowl 50 Halftime Performance Thesis Von Burg, Alessandra Canzona, Mollie R Communication open.access