Constructing a Spatial Theory of Legitimacy

This paper theorizes three rhetorical mechanisms to establish legitimacy that alter the topological structure of meaning. Empirically, we analyzed the figures of speech used in the highly contested debate around cruise ships in Venice, Italy. Drawing on the cognitive linguistic concept of image schema, we propose that figures of speech establish legitimacy by (1) exploiting core or peripheral features of the context in which legitimacy is needed, (2) creating conceptual hierarchies, and (3) constructing containment. We propose that these mechanisms affect legitimacy by altering concepts’ desirability and appropriateness. We contribute to the literature on legitimacy construction by embedding these rhetorical mechanisms in a theoretical model that explains how figures of speech can be used for establishing or eroding legitimacy.