Metaphorical language and political communication

The Italian experience between history and modernity

Abstract

The metaphor is an important form of communication which in politics, more than in other areas, serves to reduce the difficulties of description and explanation of the concepts and to better understand behaviors and objects of thought. The history of political thought, from ancient times to the present day, is full of comparisons drawn from the animal, plant and human world, and also in political practice the use of metaphor in public communication has always been very frequent. In some cases it was associated with the processes of transformation and innovation. The paper is dedicated to the identification of the strengths and possible risks and limits related to the use of metaphorical language in politics, and pays special attention to the Italian experience of the twentieth century, especially with regard to the frequent use of metaphors in the political communication of the politician Matteo Renzi.