What is discursivity in Critical Discourse Analysis
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Understanding Discursivity in Critical Discourse Analysis
Introduction to Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)
Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is a field focused on studying and analyzing written and spoken texts to uncover the discursive sources of power, dominance, inequality, and bias. It examines how these sources are maintained and reproduced within specific social, political, and historical contexts. CDA aims to systematically explore the often opaque relationships between discursive practices, events, texts, and wider social and cultural structures, relations, and processes.
Discursivity in CDA: Key Concepts
Discursive Practices and Power Relations
Discursivity in CDA refers to the ways in which language and discourse are used to construct, maintain, and legitimize social inequalities. It is based on the notion that language use is purposeful, whether the choices are conscious or unconscious. Discursive practices are seen as ideologically shaped by relations of power and struggles over power, and they play a crucial role in securing power and hegemony.
Ideological Discursive Formations (IDFs)
Social institutions contain diverse ideological-discursive formations (IDFs) associated with different groups within the institution. Each IDF has its own discourse norms and ideological norms, which can become naturalized and accepted as common sense. The goal of CDA is to denaturalize these ideologies by showing how social structures determine properties of discourse and how discourse, in turn, determines social structures.
Methodological Approaches in CDA
Reflexivity and Interpretive Movement
Reflexivity is a key concept in CDA, involving acts of interpretive movement where social actors, organizations, and systems reflect on themselves and their contexts. This reflexive process shapes interpretive reality and is essential for articulating critique in an unequal and power-infused world.
Discursive Strategies in Educational Research
In educational research, CDA is used to explore how identity markers such as race shape classroom interactions. Preservice teachers employ various discursive strategies to engage in critical conversations, offering insights into how identities influence discourse in educational settings.
Applications of Discursivity in CDA
Marketization of Public Discourse
CDA has been applied to analyze the marketization of public discourse, particularly in higher education. This involves examining how discursive practices in late capitalist society contribute to the commodification of education and the reproduction of social inequalities.
Policy Studies
CDA contributes to critical policy studies by integrating argumentation theory and analysis. This approach helps to understand the discursive turn in policy analysis and the role of discourse in shaping political and policy outcomes.
Conclusion
Discursivity in Critical Discourse Analysis is a multifaceted concept that involves examining how language and discourse construct, maintain, and legitimize social inequalities. By exploring the relationships between discursive practices and power relations, CDA aims to denaturalize ideologies and reveal the underlying structures that shape social reality. Through various methodological approaches, including reflexivity and the analysis of discursive strategies, CDA provides valuable insights into the role of discourse in different social contexts.
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