Legitimization Strategies used by Family Members in the ''Vikings'' TV Series

Abstract

Vikings TV series is a historical drama centred around family members and their different political aspirations, implying different political ideologies. This article intends to investigate the legitimization strategies used by four family members of the Vikings TV Series, including Ragnar, Lagertha, Rollo, and Bjorn, to reveal their political ideologies. The data involve the analysis of four excerpts from season 4 that are analyzed qualitatively through an eclectic model involving Fairclough's critical discourse approach and Van Leeuwen's discursive legitimization strategies (2007). The article concluded that the four characters rely heavily on two types of strategies to achieve their political goals: the authorization strategy, including (personal and expert authorities) and rationalization strategy, basically the (goal-orientation and explanation ones).