Una guerra contra criminales: metáfora e ideología en el contenido lingüístico de grafitis sobre la protesta en Chile

This study focuses on the metaphorical language of graffiti in the context of Chilean protests in 2019-2020. Based on Critical Metaphor Analysis, the research aims to describe the metaphorical conceptualizations built by graffiti in the city of Concepción and explain their impact on the formation and dissemination of ideologies. To accomplish this, the stages of identification, inter-pretation and explanation of metaphor described by Charteris-Black (2004), and Imani (2022) are applied. The findings reveal the construction of a cognitive macro-scenario, which articulates PROTEST IS A WAR and INSTITUTIONS ARE CRIMINALS metaphors, in addition to scenarios of fire and space, to represent social demonstrations as a war against criminals. This conceptualization tends to polarise the understanding of the participants in the Chilean conflict, promote the social practice of protest, and make the transmission of ideological beliefs viable through socially accepted and shared knowledge.