Discourse Analysis Notes
Discourse Analysis
-> Popularized in the last 10-15 years
-> aims to ‘understand’ the world better
-> power behind the phenomenon
-> the ‘way’ in which we talk about something has a major influence on the way we respond to it and interpret it
Discourse about asylum seekers in Australia
•queue jumping •illegal •equality •asylum rights
•distinction b/w asylum seekers and refugees •border security •us+them
•race, culture: ‘our way of life’ •assimilation •detention sentence •idea of threat
-> people with a platform to talk (politicians, journo’s) have the ability to power the discourse and how we think about a particular situation
-> discourse can be a reflection of power and it’s a means by which one may reinforce discourse disparities
• the law reflects ‘male social status’ because it does not offer women the rights that are equal
•Foucault: discourses are contested; don’t look at the dominant discourse but other smaller discourses, because although they don’t have power they are still relevant to the idea that is being discussed
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHESIS
ANTI THESIS: the resistance
ANTI THESIS: the resistance
THESIS: the way things are
THESIS: the way things are
HEGEL
Social structures: recurring patterns of behaviour that are self-legitimizing and limit the power one has within a society
-> Social Class, Gender
Research for discourse analysis
-> Identify your audience
-> Identify the type of text that is relevant, as well as the limits in terms of time and space (Are you interested in people from the past or just the present? Is it a particular group that you are interested in?)
-> Identify how many texts you’re going to be looking at (What can you access? Do you have the financial means to support the topic?)
1. Subject position: who is doing the speaking and who is the intended audience? (There is power in who gets opportunity to speak, and what position are they coming from in society, how are they addressing their
-> Popularized in the last 10-15 years
-> aims to ‘understand’ the world better
-> power behind the phenomenon
-> the ‘way’ in which we talk about something has a major influence on the way we respond to it and interpret it
Discourse about asylum seekers in Australia
•queue jumping •illegal •equality •asylum rights
•distinction b/w asylum seekers and refugees •border security •us+them
•race, culture: ‘our way of life’ •assimilation •detention sentence •idea of threat
-> people with a platform to talk (politicians, journo’s) have the ability to power the discourse and how we think about a particular situation
-> discourse can be a reflection of power and it’s a means by which one may reinforce discourse disparities
• the law reflects ‘male social status’ because it does not offer women the rights that are equal
•Foucault: discourses are contested; don’t look at the dominant discourse but other smaller discourses, because although they don’t have power they are still relevant to the idea that is being discussed
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHESIS
ANTI THESIS: the resistance
ANTI THESIS: the resistance
THESIS: the way things are
THESIS: the way things are
HEGEL
Social structures: recurring patterns of behaviour that are self-legitimizing and limit the power one has within a society
-> Social Class, Gender
Research for discourse analysis
-> Identify your audience
-> Identify the type of text that is relevant, as well as the limits in terms of time and space (Are you interested in people from the past or just the present? Is it a particular group that you are interested in?)
-> Identify how many texts you’re going to be looking at (What can you access? Do you have the financial means to support the topic?)
1. Subject position: who is doing the speaking and who is the intended audience? (There is power in who gets opportunity to speak, and what position are they coming from in society, how are they addressing their