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Critical Discourse Analysis (Tommie's)

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is a type of discourse analysis that studies how social power abuse and inequality are enacted and reproduced through language. CDA focuses on the relationship between discourse and power, examining how discourse structures confirm or challenge social relations of power. It analyzes both micro-level language use and macro-level social and political structures. Power comes from control over scarce resources like knowledge and information. More powerful groups control public discourse to influence and potentially dominate less powerful groups. This control can happen through mainstream media outlets and perceived authorities that shape public opinion and understanding.

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Alfadil Altahir
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80 views

Critical Discourse Analysis (Tommie's)

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is a type of discourse analysis that studies how social power abuse and inequality are enacted and reproduced through language. CDA focuses on the relationship between discourse and power, examining how discourse structures confirm or challenge social relations of power. It analyzes both micro-level language use and macro-level social and political structures. Power comes from control over scarce resources like knowledge and information. More powerful groups control public discourse to influence and potentially dominate less powerful groups. This control can happen through mainstream media outlets and perceived authorities that shape public opinion and understanding.

Uploaded by

Alfadil Altahir
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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News & Media

Critical Discourse Analysis:


A Quick Introduction
(Teun A. van Dijk)
Prepared by Mr. Tommie Chen
25th June 2009

What is CDA?
A discourse analytical research that:
Studies how social power abuse,
dominance and inequality are enacted,
reproduced and resisted by text and
talk in social and political contexts.
Deals with the relationship between
discourse and power (with the aim of
understanding, exposing and
resisting social inequality).

What is CDA?
A discourse analytical research that:
Focuses on how discourse structures
enact, confirm, legitimise, reproduce
or challenge relations of power and
dominance in society.
Rejects the possibility of a value-free
science as these inequalities are
inherently a part social structures
and are influenced by social
interactions.

A Theoretical
Framework:
1. Macro vs. Micro Levels of Analysis
Macro-analysis: Power, Dominance,
Inequality
Micro-analysis: Language Use,
Discourse, Verbal Interaction &
Communication
These 2 levels form 1 unified whole in
everyday interaction and experience.

A Theoretical
Framework:

2. Power as Control
Source of Power: Privileged Access to
Scarce Social Resources e.g. Fame?
Types of Power: Coercive Force,
Money, Knowledge, Information,
Authority.
Types of Responses: Resist, Accept,
Condone, Comply, Legitimise
(Indoctrination?)

Quick Discussion:
What is the most powerful form of
persuasion?
How do more powerful groups control
public discourse?
How does such discourse control the
minds and actions of less powerful
groups?
What are the consequences of such
control e.g. social inequality?

Control of Public
Discourse

Public Discourse as a vital symbolic


resource.
Individual Level:
Active Control (Everyday Interaction) vs.
Passive Control (Media Usage)
Macro Level:
Professors (Scholarly Discourse), Journalists
(Media Discourse), Teachers (Educational
Discourse), Lawyers (Legal Discourse),
Politicians (Policy & Public Discourse)

Control of Public
Discourse
3 Forms of Access & Control
Context Control over the
Communicative Situation (Setting,
Discourse Genre and Content,
Participants, Mental Representations)
Structure of Text and Talk
Topical Control (Editors News
Coverage/Topics, Professors),
Lexical Items/Jargon/Volume.

Control of Public
Discourse

Mind Control:
Mediated through Discourse
(especially News and Media).
Recipients tend to accept beliefs,
knowledge and opinions especially
when it comes through discourse from
perceived authoritative, trustworthy
or credible sources (Scholars, Experts,
Professionals, Reliable Media)

Control of Public
Discourse
Mind Control is especially effective
when:
Target audiences are obliged to be passive
recipients
There is a lack of alternative discourse and
beliefs
There is a lack of resources, knowledge
and expertise to challenge the discourse that
we are exposed to.
The lack of an explicit assertion results in a
negligible chance that they will be challenged .

Quick Discussion
What are the Areas/Topics that you want to
examine in the News & Media Module using the
CDA framework? E.g. biased representations of
us and them, supremacist derogation,
power and domination in politics etc.
Please provide a clear indication on the IVLE
Discussion Forum so that the subsequent
lessons can be tailored specifically to your
needs.
Everyone MUST provide a Response as this will
serve as an indicator of your participation in this
online lecture.

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