A lecture was given to bachelor students of the PPLE college of University of Amsterdam, on 20th February 2017. This part covers political discourse theory and critical discourse analysis.

1. Qualitative data analysis (1)
Discourse, Discourse Theory and Discourse Analysis
Lela Mosemghvdlishvili
PPLE / Research Lab

2. Today:
o What is Discourse Analysis (DA), and is it
something for your BA thesis?
o How to orient and where to start?
a roadmap to 4 approaches

3. Next Lecture:
Discourse analysis in relation to:
• Politics and identities
• Austerity measures
• Education reform
• EU policies

4. Roadmap: 4 approaches
1. Political Discourse Theory (PDT)
2. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)
3. Argumentative Analysis (AA)
4. Discursive Psychology (DP)

5. Tips
How to decide whether DA is for you?
Focus of analysis
identity politics, explaining social processes, formation of hegemony,
fragmentation of social, ideology critique, understanding social movements.
Type of analysis
Which approach to choose?
levels of analysis
Compatibility with other theories

6. We will cover:
• Key concepts and theoretical premises
• Differences between approaches

7. Why different approaches?
o Disciplinary background and application
o Epistemological differences and ontological
assumptions
o Distinct levels of analysis and methodologies
o Compatibility?

8. What is a discourse?

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Homage to dead white men / indeed reads
awkward
Nietzsche (Morals)
Foucault (Knowledge, Power)
Genealogical analysis

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Discourse analysis as:
logic of explanation
theory as a method
research program/package
problem-driven

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Post-Structuralist theory
Neomarxist
Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe (1985)
Genealogical analysis on Hegemony
Essex School of Discourse
Political Discourse Theory (PDT)

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Key concepts:
• Discursivity and articulation
• Nodal points
• Chains of equivalence and difference
Hegemony and deconstruction
Political Discourse Theory (PDT)

13. Discursivity
Discourse is fully constitutive of social world.
first theoretical abstraction

14. not only phenomenon/events, but identities are
discursively constructed

15. Discourse as - a temporarily established totality of meaning,
where each sign is in a certain relationship with other signs.

16. What holds a discourse together?
Nodal points

17. Signification
(key) signifiers

18. Compare

19. Articulation
Establishing relationships between signifiers

20. Chains of difference/equivalence and identities
Of Objects
Of Subjects
Compare: freedom fighters / terrorists

21. z

22. Chains of equivalence and difference in relation
To identities
(copy charts about differ/ from understanding)

23. Deconstructing differences
“By deconstructing differences, the relationship is
usually reversed in such a way that what appears
to be the norm is recognized as a game of
dominance.”
Andersen (2003)

24. Hegemony
‘a politics of signifiers’
(Laclau, 1983)
relation with deconstruction and discourse

25. “There are lots of different struggles, but
we need to establish a real chain of
equivalence to confront the dominant
struggles against a common adversary—
and not simply link the struggles, which is
only one step. The enemy is Wall Street,
the political establishment, the oligarchy.
We will always fail unless we articulate
collective wills in the language of the
people.”
Interview from Chantal Mouffe | 15 December 2016 |
the Nation

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Recap and further concepts
DT – social theory
• Discursivity (social as discursive space)
• Articulation (establishing relations)
• Impossibility of closure, yet
hegemonization

27. 2. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)
History and disciplinary background
‘Scientific Peer Group’
Normal Fairclough, Ruth Wodak, Theun van Dijk, Theo van
Leeuwen, Gunther Kress

28. “fundamentally concerned with analyzing opaque as
well as transparent structural relationships of
dominance, discrimination, power and control as
manifested in language.”
Wodak (2001)

29. 2. CDA: assumptions
“Language as social practice”
Fairclough and Wodak, 1997
Individuals, institutions, social groupings have specific
meaning and values, - expressed in language in a
systematic way.
Kress, 1989 as quotes in Wodak 2001
Dialectical relationship between language and society

30. Compare
relationship between language and society
in DT and CDA

31. What is Critical in Critical Discourse Analysis?
Focus on concepts of power, history and ideology.
Dominant structures stabilize conventions and
naturalize them (they appear taken-for-granted).
Aim is to identify those biases.

32. Methodologies of CDA
Research package
theoretical framework?
usage of other theories
Linguistic tools

33. Recap
Similarities and Differences between DT and CDA

34. Roadmap: 4 approaches
1. Political Discourse Theory (PDT)
2. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)
3. Argumentative Analysis (AA)
4. Discursive Psychology (DP)

35. Next Lecture:
Discourse analysis in relation to:
• Politics and identities
• Austerity measures
• Education reform
• EU policies