Strategies of Identity Construction ‘In the Line of Fire: Memoir: A Critical Discourse Analysis

This paper offers to explore identity construction and self glorification strategies in a political autobiography ‘In the Line of Fire: A memoir by Musharraf. The study seeks to investigate the answer about how the former president and COAS of Pakistan army, constructs his identity in his discourse, what linguistic resources he draws upon, and how the resulting identity construction contribute to the image of self presentation strategies in the progression of his political discourse. The present paper elucidates the way, personal and professional identity is constructed by Musharraf. It draws upon Fairclough’s dialectical relational approach to Discourse Analysis and the analytical tools provided by Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar (2014). The study is based on semantic micro and macro analysis, drawing insights from research in Critical theory, social use of language and narrative analysis. Musharraf not only constructs but also defends his identity in the shaping of his personal and professional image as the soldier and president of Pakistan.