This study examines American constructions of "the illegal immigrant" as it appears in popular and political discourse. In doing so, it advances the idea of "hegemonic ideological coordinates" as the domain of a social field that helps individuals to come to terms with their belief in illegal immigration restrictions. Hegemonic ideological coordinates are defined in this essay as the parameters that influence the symbolic construction of political belief. Specifically, they are a collection of socio-centric statements which condition identity with the values and judgments of preceding generations that "subject" individuals through language of constraint and/or liberation. This essay examines the hegemonic ideological coordinates of anti-illegal immigration rhetoric. It examines American anti-illegal immigration rhetoric surrounding twelve coordinates: (1) "Un-American," (2) "Alien(iz)ation of the Enemy," (3) "Criminality," (4) "Economic Deterioration," (5) "Public Services," (6) "Infectiousness," (7) "Bestialization," (8) "Racialization," (9) "God," (10) "Environmental Contaminants," (11) "Overpopulation," and (12) "Pieces of Shit and Other Expletives." In the end, it is possible to gain valuable insights into the illegal immigration controversy, the formation of American political belief, and the US. rhetorical construction of the scapegoat.

psychoanalysis ideology Rhetoric hegemony culture Lacan Scapegoat Gramsci Immigration Subjectivity

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