ULTRANATIONALIST SYMBOLS AND THE LANGUAGE OF POWER: A SYSTEMIC-FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF SEGREGATIONIST DISCOURSES IN AUTHORITARIAN CONTEXTS

This article analyzes the use of ultranationalist symbols in authoritarian governments as a discursive strategy aimed at social dissuasion and the dissemination of segregationist discourses, especially in contexts associated with education. It is based on the assumption that the mobilization of symbolic elements associated with national identity, such as colors, flags, patriotic slogans, and narratives of belonging, operates as a resource for ideological legitimation and consensus-building, while simultaneously constructing symbolic boundaries between social groups. To support this discussion, the study is grounded in the theory of Systemic-Functional Linguistics, especially the metafunctions of language proposed by Halliday (1994), which allow us to understand how ideational, interpersonal, and textual meanings are mobilized in the construction of social representations and the naturalization of power projects. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative character, analyzing statements and discursive practices that demonstrate the appropriation of national symbols as instruments of political persuasion and social control. The results indicate that symbols are frequently reinterpreted to produce effects of apparent national unity, while simultaneously reinforcing processes of exclusion and stigmatization of dissident groups, converting nationalism into a mechanism for maintaining social hierarchies and silencing dissenting voices. It is concluded that the linguistic-discursive analysis of ultranationalist symbols contributes to revealing the ways in which language participates in the reproduction of authoritarian practices and the legitimization of discourses that sustain social inequalities and polarizations.