Discursive construction of legitimation and delegitimation: a comparative critical discourse analysis of a public debate over Singapore’s capital punishment

This article investigates how Singapore's capital punishment is legitimised and delegitimised in public discourse, focusing on the written exchanges between Sir Richard Branson and Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs from October 2022 to April 2023. Drawing on the theoretical perspectives of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Van Leeuwen's legitimation framework, the study uncovers distinct patterns in how MHA and Branson legitimise and delegitimise the contentious social practice of capital punishment in Singapore, respectively. The analysis details the discursive and linguistic realisations of these legitimation and delegitimation constructions and demonstrates how analyses of representations of social practices can be integrated with legitimation and delegitimation analyses. Additionally, the article's comparative analysis sheds light on the ways legitimation and delegitimation discourses can be shaped by international human-rights advocacy and national policy interests to influence public opinion on contentious social practices such as capital punishment.