Discourse Analysis As Social Critique

This book presents post-Marxist theoretical approaches towards social critique and offers discourse analytical tools for critical research. How is a normative critique possible? The author, working at the crossroads of sociological discourse analysis and social philosophy, answers this question and others to show how empirical discourse research can be used to develop normative critique of societies. Divided into three major sections, Herzog introduces the reader to the theoretical approaches to critique, provides tools for normative evaluations of social structures, and finally offers practical examples of theoretical concepts. The book will be of interest to those working in the fields and subfields of discourse analysis, poststructuralism, hegemony theory, cultural political economy and critical theory, with an interdisciplinary orientation.

A systematic introduction to discourse analysis as a body of theories and methods for social research. Introduces three approaches and explains the distinctive philosophical premises and theoretical perspectives of each approach.

The volume examines the discourse-based critique of coloniality. It brings together an extensive interdisciplinary dialogue that reveals what different research fields – such as sociology of language, social psychology, history and political science, among others – have to say about discourse criticism and de/coloniality. In doing so, it also invites a critique of critical thinking, acknowledging the relevance of dissonant voices that arise from this debate. The essays in this volume discuss possibilities to decolonize discursive studies without losing sight of its contradictions. The book delves into how one can, as an intellectual who enjoys the privileges of coloniality in academic environments of the Global North, deal with the limitations and paradox of a radical critique through discourse. It discusses how ideas, entrenched in privilege, can be extracted, shared and applied while ensuring the radicality of their local contextualization. These ideas then must not only make sense within themselves but also resonate with other contexts, readings and peoples, in the South, without repeating the mistakes of hermetic scholarly lexicons. A key reading on decoloniality, critical thinking, methodologies, ideas, ideologies, language and critical discourse analysis, this volume will be of immense interest to scholar and researchers of language and literature, political science, the social sciences and Global South Studies.

Can discourse analysis techniques adequately deal with complex social phenomena? What does 'interdisciplinarity' mean for theory building and the practise of empirical research? This original volume debates critical theory and discourse analysis, focussing on the extent to which CDA can draw on a range of disciplines in the social sciences.

Ian Parker has been a leading light in the fields of critical and discursive psychology for over 25 years. The Psychology After Critique series brings together for the first time his most important papers. Each volume in the series has been prepared by Ian Parker and presents a newly written introduction and focused overview of a key topic area. Psychology After Discourse Analysis is the third volume in the series and addresses three central questions: How did discourse analysis develop inside psychology? How does discursive psychology address concerns about the traditional ‘laboratory experiment’ paradigm in psychology? What is the future for discourse analysis? The book provides a clear account of the various forms of discourse analysis that have been used within psychology, and provides a review of their significance for a new generation of psychologists. The early chapters present a framework for understanding the origins of these various forms, as well as the differences between them. Emphasizing the gap between discursive psychology and mainstream psychology, Parker then explores relations between discourse analysis, psychoanalysis, social constructionism and the postmodern turn in the social sciences. The final chapters describe the limitations of discourse analysis and explore its flaws as a framework and as a practice, questioning its future within academia and in political and social contexts beyond psychology. Psychology After Discourse Analysis is essential reading for students and researchers in psychology, sociology, social anthropology and cultural studies, and for discourse analysts of different traditions. It will also introduce key ideas and debates within critical psychology to undergraduates and postgraduate students across the social sciences.

This book provides a comprehensive account of the discipline of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and demonstrates multiple linguistic methods through which it exposes and demystifies ideologies that are present in institutional discourse. The book enables readers to critique the complexities of the relationship between language and power to expose the ideological operation of discourse. Proceeding from a theoretical grounding for CDA in contemporary society, the book comprises analysis of a wide range of discourse examples, including the news media, political speeches, public service leaflets and social media. Readers are guided through a diverse range of models in CDA in order to scrutinise and assess the role of language in society and to consider and challenge the principles of powerful networks, institutions and organisations.

Discourse Analysis as Theory and Method is a systematic introduction to discourse analysis as a body of theories and methods for social research. It brings together three central approaches, Laclau and Mouffe′s discourse theory, critical discourse analysis and discursive psychology, in order to establish a dialogue between different forms of discourse analysis often kept apart by disciplinary boundaries. The book introduces the three approaches in a clear and easily comprehensible manner, explaining the distinctive philosophical premises and theoretical perspectives of each approach as well as the methodological guidelines and tools they provide for empirical discourse analysis. The authors also demonstrate the possibilities for combining different discourse analytical and non-discourse analytical approaches in empirical study. Finally, they contextualize discourse analysis within the social constructionist debate about critical social research, rejecting the view that a critical stance is incompatible with social constructionist premises and arguing that critique must be an inherent part of social research.

This book is designed as an introduction to Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and gives an overview of the various theories and methods associated with this sociolinguistic approach. It also introduces the reader to the leading figures in CDA and the methods to which they are most closely related. The text aims to provide a comprehensive description of the individual methods, an understanding of the theories to which methods refer and a comparative treatment of each of these methods so that students may be able to determine which is the most appropriate to select for their particular research question. Given the balance between theory and application, plus the intended audience - no previous knowledge of CDA is assumed - Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis should be useful reading for both students and researchers in the fields of linguistics, sociology, social psychology and the social sciences in general.

Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis provides a concise, comprehensible and thoroughly up-to-date introduction to CDA, appropriate for both novice and experienced researchers. This new edition has been updated throughout, with a new introduction contextualizing the development of the CDA approach, and two entirely new chapters on the 'social actor approach' to CDA and the use of quantitative corpus linguistic methods. The editors have brought together contributions from leading experts in the field, who each introduce their own approaches to CDA. Examples are included throughout, demonstrating the value of the method in analyzing a variety of genres of written material on a whole range of topics, including global warming, leadership in management, and globalization. This book will be of great interest to students and researchers in linguistics, sociology and psychology interested in interdisciplinary approaches to coping with topical social problems.