{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T11:22:36Z","timestamp":1777548156614,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2015,7,21]],"date-time":"2015-07-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1437436800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Discourse &amp; Society"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2015,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>This article aims to discuss the discursive legitimation strategies used by the Portuguese government to legitimate its political action between 2011 and 2014 in the context of the financial, economic and social crisis and the implementation of a three-year bailout programme and consequent austerity policies. Drawing from Critical Discourse Analysis for discussing discursive legitimation strategies, we selected eight political discourses delivered by the Portuguese Prime Minister and organised his discursive legitimation strategies into four main categories: (1)\u2018state of exception\u2019, (2) blame allocation, (3) no alternative options and the appeal to emotions and (4) effectiveness. We conclude that, between 2011 and 2014, the Portuguese Prime Minister, through the \u2018state of exception\u2019 narrative and blame allocation strategies, sought to impose and legitimate governmental political action as the only viable option to overcome the crisis, as well as to reify the idea that austerity policies were the correct path to ensure a sustainable growth and to build a dynamic, prosperous and fair country.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0957926515592780","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,7,21]],"date-time":"2015-07-21T21:39:51Z","timestamp":1437514791000},"page":"682-711","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":32,"title":["Through \u2018seas never before sailed\u2019: Portuguese government discursive legitimation strategies in a context of financial crisis"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"26","author":[{"given":"Pedro","family":"Fonseca","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CAPP, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Maria Jo\u00e3o","family":"Ferreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CAPP, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,7,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-0957926515592780","volume-title":"Means without End: Notes on Politics","author":"Agamben G","year":"2000"},{"key":"bibr2-0957926515592780","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1215\/9780822386735-013"},{"key":"bibr3-0957926515592780","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4000\/books.alpara.2549"},{"key":"bibr4-0957926515592780","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0957926514536955"},{"key":"bibr5-0957926515592780","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4135\/9781412959636.n323"},{"key":"bibr6-0957926515592780","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-349-21599-7"},{"key":"bibr7-0957926515592780","volume-title":"Austerity: the history of a dangerous idea","author":"Blyth M","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr8-0957926515592780","unstructured":"Buti M, Carnot N (2013) The debate on fiscal policy in Europe: Beyond the austerity myth. ECFIN Economic Brief, 20 March. Available at: http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/economy_finance\/publications\/economic_briefs\/2013\/pdf\/eb20_en.pdf (accessed 10 September 2014)."},{"key":"bibr9-0957926515592780","unstructured":"CaldasJC(2012) The consequences of austerity policies in Portugal. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, August, International Policy Analysis. Available at: http:\/\/library.fes.de\/pdf-files\/id-moe\/09311.pdf (accessed 10 September 2014)."},{"key":"bibr10-0957926515592780","volume-title":"Legitimisation in Political Discourse: A Cross-disciplinary Perspective on the Modern US War Rhetoric","author":"Cap P","year":"2010"},{"key":"bibr11-0957926515592780","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9780203561218"},{"key":"bibr12-0957926515592780","unstructured":"Coelho PP (2011a) Prime Minister\u2019s discourse presenting the government programme (12th Legislature, 1st legislative session, June 30, 2011). Di\u00e1rio da Assembleia da Rep\u00fablica I(3): 11\u201316. Available at: http:\/\/www.parlamento.pt\/DAR\/Paginas\/DAR1Serie.aspx (accessed 2 July 2014)."},{"key":"bibr13-0957926515592780","unstructured":"Coelho PP (2011b) Prime Minister\u2019s discourse during the debate on the proposal of the general budget for 2012 (12th Legislature, 1st legislative session, November 10, 2011). Di\u00e1rio da Assembleia da Rep\u00fablica I(39): 8\u201311. Available at: http:\/\/www.parlamento.pt\/DAR\/Paginas\/DAR1Serie.aspx (accessed 2 July 2014)."},{"key":"bibr14-0957926515592780","unstructured":"Coelho PP (2011c) Prime-Minister\u2019s inaugural discourse. Pal\u00e1cio Nacional da Ajuda. 21 June. Available at: http:\/\/www.portugal.gov.pt\/media\/443405\/20110621_pm_int_posse.pdf (accessed 2 July 2014)."},{"key":"bibr15-0957926515592780","unstructured":"Coelho PP (2012a) Prime Minister\u2019s discourse during the debate on the proposal of the general budget for 2013 (12th Legislature, 2nd legislative session, October 30, 2012). Di\u00e1rio da Assembleia da Rep\u00fablica I(18): 2\u20139. Available at: http:\/\/www.parlamento.pt\/DAR\/Paginas\/DAR1Serie.aspx (accessed 2 July 2014)."},{"key":"bibr16-0957926515592780","unstructured":"Coelho PP (2012b) Prime-Minister\u2019s discourse on the state of the Nation debate (12th Legislature, 1st legislative session, July 11, 2012). Di\u00e1rio da Assembleia da Rep\u00fablica I(132): 2\u20136. Available at: http:\/\/www.parlamento.pt\/DAR\/Paginas\/DAR1Serie.aspx (accessed 2 July 2014)."},{"key":"bibr17-0957926515592780","unstructured":"Coelho PP (2013a) Prime Minister\u2019s discourse during the debate on the proposal of the general budget for 2014 (12th Legislature, 3rd legislative session, October 31, 2013). Di\u00e1rio da Assembleia da Rep\u00fablica I(16): 2\u20137. Available at: http:\/\/www.parlamento.pt\/DAR\/Paginas\/DAR1Serie.aspx (accessed 2 July 2014)."},{"key":"bibr18-0957926515592780","unstructured":"Coelho PP (2013b) Prime-Minister\u2019s discourse on the state of the Nation debate (12th Legislature, 2nd legislative session, July 12, 2013). Di\u00e1rio da Assembleia da Rep\u00fablica I(113): 2\u20135. Available at: http:\/\/www.parlamento.pt\/DAR\/Paginas\/DAR1Serie.aspx (accessed 2 July 2014)."},{"key":"bibr19-0957926515592780","unstructured":"Coelho PP (2014) Prime-Minister\u2019s discourse on the state of the Nation debate (12th Legislature, 3rd legislative session, July 2, 2014). Di\u00e1rio da Assembleia da Rep\u00fablica I(102): 2\u20136. 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