“Women do vote for women”

a critical-discursive analysis of Flávia Alves’s (Solidariedade) interview on the podcast “Abrindo o Verbo”

Abstract

Language, beyond being a mechanism for conveying information, is also an instrument of symbolic struggle, defining representations and identities, reinforcing hierarchies, and legitimizing power structures. Accordingly, this article aims to investigate the discursive representations mobilized in the construction of meaning within the oral-discursive genre of the podcast, seeking to contribute to the development of a critical stance by the reader/listener. The corpus analyzed is the interview with Flávia Alves (Solidariedade) for the podcast “Abrindo o Verbo”, conducted during the 2024 mayoral election campaign in São Luís, Maranhão. The main theoretical framework is Critical Discourse Analysis (hereafter CDA), a theoretical-methodological approach developed by British linguist Norman Fairclough (2001, 2003). Among the principles of CDA, this study focuses on aspects related to actional, representational, and identificational meanings. The results indicate that Flávia Alves’ discourse constructs a female political identity grounded in resistance, collectivity, and the contestation of gender dispositifs historically naturalized within party politics. In summary, this work advocates for a critical-discursive reading of digital media texts, aiming to promote the emancipation of the citizen-reader.