Ideological Construction Research Articles

The power of words in political discourses of the general election campaigns in Kenya

This paper examines the power of words in political campaign discourses in Kenyan media. The study focuses on the several meanings of concepts employed by politicians in the run-up to the general elections of August 2022. Discursive practices and linguistic tactics are employed in discourses to achieve a particular political, social, psychological or linguistic goal. Critical theories of language see the use of language as a form of social practice. Critical discourse analysis claims that major social and political processes and movements have a partly linguistic and partly social and political character. Social relations of power are linguistic and discursive in nature. They are exercised and negotiated in discourse. The study utilised Mitchel Foucault’s approaches to political discourse and Norman Fairclough’s critical approaches to discourse analysis. Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis was employed in the study. First is the analysis of text; words are a part of the community, and texts contain interpretation. Secondly, language is viewed as a discursive practice, which is the production or the constitution of text and, finally, the analysis of language as a social practice, which includes the analysis of norms. The study sought to contribute to studies dealing with the discursive construction of power and ideology in political discourses. The study demonstrates that Kenyans do not vote independently; rather, they are persuaded to vote through the power exerted by the rhetoric of the politicians and the professional media practices that assist their presentation.

Development and Dilemmas of Mass Democratic Identity Construction in the Context of the Myanmar Coup: An Analysis of Political Narratives

This study examines the process of mass democratic identity construction in Myanmar and delineates the distinct characteristics of the government's political narratives during the period of Myanmar's democratic reform. The research finds that Myanmar managed to establish a democratic identity that continues to exhibit resilience in the aftermath of the coup. This resilience, observed at the level of political narratives, can be attributed to the transcultural features of ideological construction and the prominent influence of Buddhism, both well-suited to Myanmar's deep-seated social and religious foundations. However, following the coup, the loss of agency by the original narrative source, combined with the long-standing issues within Burmese society, has resulted in several political dilemmas hampering the development of democratic consciousness. These dilemmas are characterized by an immature democratic political culture, underdeveloped civil society, and frequent ethnic conflicts. The underlying reasons for these challenges can be traced back to the limitations of democratic political culture during Myanmar's democratic reform period and the absence of historical and cultural foundations in the country's democratic political system, which may constrain the long-term development of democratic consciousness following changes in the power structure.

Examining Chinese teachers’ emotional vulnerability of teaching international students in an English medium instruction programme

Despite the fact that a growing number of studies have begun to focus on stakeholders' emotions in English medium instruction (EMI) settings, little is known, particularly about teachers' emotional vulnerability in EMI teaching. Situating teachers' emotional vulnerability as a sociocultural and ideological construct, this study seeks to investigate Chinese EMI teachers' emotional vulnerability of teaching international students in Southwest China. Based on a larger critical sociolinguistic ethnography, the findings reveal a slew of social, ideological, institutional, and personal factors that mediate Chinese EMI teachers' emotional vulnerability, indicating that their emotional vulnerability is largely influenced by the discourses of neoliberalism and performativity, which are dominated by the ideology of English hegemony, top-down evaluation mechanisms, and power relations. Simultaneously, Chinese EMI teachers' emotional vulnerability also can be transformed into agencies for possible alternatives. The paper concludes with some practical implications for mitigating the negative effects of emotional vulnerability on EMI teachers. The article contributes to raise a greater recognition of teachers' emotional vulnerability in EMI higher education contexts by sparking a critical discussion about how to promote the awareness of stakeholders’ emotional vulnerability and well being in policy making and curriculum design.

Ideological Construction of Deviance in Street Children’s Discourse in Southwestern Nigeria

This paper explores how Nigerian street children construct deviance in their discourse, which has been overlooked in previous research. Through participant observation and interviews with 104 street children and Critical linguistic qualitative analysis using the CDA approach, findings show that deviance was constructed as alignment with street abnormality and a struggle for survival. Employing strategies such as evocations of sympathy, commonality, trivialization, and overgeneralization, their constructions reflect street ideology and beliefs which highlight social inequality and class differences between streets and mainstream society. These beliefs shape street childrens cognitive models, value systems and influence their worldview.

Western theology’s whiteness and some Liberation theologies, two sides of the same coin?

This article explores how the Western theology often employed by European explorers sought to deify ‘whiteness’. Whiteness as an ideological construction found the ideal tool in Christianity and through supersessionism detached Jesus of Nazareth from his Jewish roots and clothed him in whiteness, thus making white maleness the idol that all creatures must aspire towards. In defiance, liberation theologians, in particular James Cone, coined the possibility that ‘Jesus is black’. Thus, the possibility of Jesus being anything to anyone becomes conceivable. Such a usurpation of the Jesus of Nazareth on either side opens the possibility of recreating Jesus in one’s image. This is the coin of idolatry that this article will argue sits at the heart of modern theology. Assuming a dialectical hermeneutic of suspicion, this article explores the problem of modern theology and how some liberation theologies may continue to play second fiddle to the whiteness perpetuated by western theologies like pruning a bonsai tree. Notwithstanding the challenges of decolonising theology, this search conceives the possibility of a non-ideological Christianity that may be confronting the whiteness of western theology and its associated atrocities. Such a quest may lead to a framing of a transformative theology based on honest and interrogative encounter between modern theology and cultural and traditional spiritualities.Contribution: This article explores how liberation theology can become a major player in the theology arena without always playing second fiddle to Western theologies. Exploring decoloniality confronts whiteness in terms of political theology that interlinks anthropology, economics and social welfare.

Tensions of place and opposing emblems of authenticity and marginal gentrification in Grünerløkka, Oslo

This study investigates multiple discourses surrounding the trends, changes and opposing emblematic signage of authenticity and the ideological constructions of place within Grünerløkka, Oslo, Norway. Our theoretical framework is grounded within the political economy of place and the sociolinguistics of authenticity. Three different datasets are used in the analysis: a) 60 interviews conducted with local residents, business owners and journalists; b) multilingual and multimodal signage found within this neighborhood's changing linguistic and semiotic landscapes; and c) texts from online media. We take both a discourse and multimodal analytic approach in our investigation of the circulating tensions of place found both ‘online’ and ‘offline’ of what constitutes an ‘authentic’ neighborhood to individuals. Our findings suggest that the conflicting ideologies of authenticity are bound to the pressures of change and resistance. These are inextricably connected to local consumer practices that are inevitably tied to global market forces and marketing strategies within the social and material constructions of urban landscapes.

Slippages in the Application of Hegemonic Masculinity: A Case Study of Incels

Although an important theoretical tool within the field of critical study of men and masculinities, mishandling of Connell’s theory of multiple masculinities and subsequent developments frequently overlooks the relational and legitimizing components central to the hegemonic masculine construct, producing conceptual ‘slippage’. This case study demonstrates such misapplication, examining four investigations within the emerging field of research concerning the antifeminist masculine performances and ideological constructs associated with involuntary celibates (incels). Each study lacks acknowledgement and demonstration of the political mechanics of relational legitimacy that define hegemonic masculinity, producing, instead, trait analyses of non-hegemonic dominant or dominating masculine behaviour resting on fixed, often toxic character types. As novel and emergent communities of men receive scholarly attention, it is important researchers heed repeated attempts to guide correct use of theory by engaging with the history and evolution of employed concepts.

Examining Identity Construction Through a Critical Discourse Analysis of the Stop Asian Hate Corpus

This paper examines the discourse of resistance to discrimination faced by Asians, analyzing a corpus of 14,867 words across ten resistance discourses. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of 'Ideological Structures of Discourse' and 'The DiscourseCognitionSociety Triangle', the study employs both qualitative and quantitative research methods. It focuses on eight ideological structures within these discourses, utilizing linguistic analysis tools like Word List, Keyword List, and Collocates from Sketch Engine. The analysis reveals frequent use of pronouns such as we, they, American, Asian, and against, highlighting a division between WE (Asians) and THEY (racists). This division emphasizes the negative portrayal of racists and the contrasting positive qualities of the Asian community, while also acknowledging the vulnerability of Asians. Activities and personal experiences dominate the ideological constructs, presenting specific practices and relatable experiences, making these narratives convincing and effective. The discourse is characterized by its focus on the vulnerability of Asians to violence and threats, drawing public and legislative attention to their safety and security needs. This study underscores the importance of resistance discourse in promoting awareness, solidarity, and cohesion among Asian communities against discrimination and injustice.

Multisemiotics, Race, and Academic Literacies

This study examines the trajectories of two multilingual, racialized academic writing faculty, presenting how we brought our Southern onto-epistemologies (e.g., Santos, 2016) to curriculum, teaching, and assessment. Although plurilingualism has become a significant dimension of Canadian higher education (Marshall, 2020), monolingual norms that emphasize native-like competence continue to be a mainstream discourse in many academic writing courses. Building on the recent raciolinguistic critique (Rosa & Flores, 2017) of the lack of discussion of racism in academic literacies discourse, we acknowledge that academic literacies continues to force plurilingual, international students into a white subject position. Acknowledging the tension between the monolingual ideal and multilingual realities, we explore how two plurilingual, non-white faculty challenge an academic writing tradition that is constructed by the white listening subject. By co-creating duoethnographic narratives that provide insight into our complex biographical journeys as cycles of becoming (Thibault, 2020), our story shows how teaching academic writing is not simply teaching a skillset but involves constant negotiation between students’ and teachers’ lived experiences. Through this process, we conceive of teaching academic literacies as both an ideological construct and a multisemiotic process that involves multiple histories and meaning-making resources across diverse time and place scales.

Research on the Integrating Ideological and Political Education into Entrepreneurship Education in Higher Vocational Colleges under the Perspective of Three Complete Education

In the new period, to promote the organic integration of entrepreneurship education and ideological and political education, to build entrepreneurship education with outstanding characteristics of vocational education, and to accurately grasp the opportunity situation, is an important hand in building the pattern of ideological and political education of "Three Complete Education" (all-member, all-process, all-round education). At present, the integration of ideological and political education into entrepreneurship education of vocational college students is faced with difficulties such as the entrepreneurship curriculum to be improved, the lack of ideological and political integration, and the imperfect modern evaluation mechanism. The construction of entrepreneurship education course ideology and politics must highlight the ideological guidance, keep up with The Times to create entrepreneurship courses; deepen the educational practice, cultivate high-quality specialized teachers; embedded in the elements of nurturing, explore the teaching quality evaluation system, implement the fundamental task of moral education, and help cultivate high-quality technical and skilled talents.

Physics Education from a decolonial perspective: a case study with Brazilian curriculum

The educational process is characterized as a set of pedagogical actions developed for a particular social group and provided with intentionality. In this sense, every pedagogical action involves an intention, which transfers and reproduces cultural patterns that materialize in social values and traditions. In this context, the postmodern decolonial thinking discussed by Quijano (2019), Mignolo and Walsh (2018), and Abdi (2011) are inserted, as well as the epistemological aspects given by Santos (2020). Thus, with this paper, we seek to present a case study developed in Brazil about the colonial influences that manifest themselves in the science curriculum of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, taking Physics Education as the context for analysis. For that, we used as a method of analysis the Discourse Analysis given by the France perspective about the ideological construction of the discourse. As preliminary results, we identified that the absence of an original Brazilian structure for the construction of the analyzed curriculum corroborates the perspectives of a form of colonization characterized by us as at the primary level, that is, epistemic. With the investigation, we hope to contribute to understanding which the cultural lens that act as a colonizing operator on the set of scientific standards and Brazilian scientific representativeness.

DORIS LESSING’İN THE FIFTH CHILD VE BEN, IN THE WORLD ADLI ESERLERİNDE İTAATSİZ BEDEN VE DÜZEN MEKANİZMALARI

Doris Lessing’s The Fifth Child (1988) and Ben, in the World (2000) narrate the tragic story of Ben Lovatt who is identified as the anomalous fifth child in the Lovatt family. Set in London in the 1960s, with its focalisation on Ben’s early childhood, from his mother’s pregnancy to his confinement into his cot after his birth, The Fifth Child navigates through the ideological construction of Ben’s self through power and isolation. Ben, in the World, on the other hand, maintains Ben’s story from his eighteenth year and presents his strife for survival in a social world in which he is forced to be a member of society with his social self and social body. While both works can be regarded as the adventures of Ben, who is isolated and alienated from his family and society, they also draw social environs in which Ben’s body is constructed via the discursive mechanisms of otherness and wildness. Ben’s othered self and body are foregrounded by abnormal corporeal relations and unhuman depictions throughout Lessing’s fiction. In this sense, this study focuses on the trajectories of Ben’s body in these narratives to discuss Ben’s unruly body which is forced to be regulated by the familial, social and institutional mechanisms of power.

Research on the construction of ideological and political education teaching evaluation system in university courses--taking public finance as an example

Actively improving the teaching quality of ideological and political education courses and promoting all kinds of courses to go hand in hand with ideological and political education courses are important prerequisites for universities to implement the fundamental task of building morality and cultivating talents, and also the core essence of ideological and political work in universities in the new era. In order to improve the level of ideological and political education courses in universities, it is particularly crucial to establish a scientific and rigorous teaching evaluation system. Therefore, this paper takes the professional course of "Public Finance" as an example to construct the teaching quality evaluation index system based on the Guidance Program for the Construction of Ideological and Political Education in Colleges and Universities, in order to provide reference for the theory and practice of ideological and political education in other liberal arts professional courses.

Fiscal Decentralization, Good Governance and Local Economic Development in councils in Ngoketunjia Division, Cameroon

Abstract Dissatisfaction about the form of the state in Cameroon led to the putting in place of law No. 2019/024 of December 2019 instituting the General Code of Regional and Local Authorities, envisioned to improve local governance and impact local economic development. This, it was hoped will limit the interference of the central government in the management of regional and local affairs. Contrary to this theoretical supposition, there is still apparent strong centralization of financial powers by the central government in Cameroon. The rapport between the central government and the lower levels of government is rather that of command and obey relationship. Consequently, fiscal decentralization that is likely to promote good governance and engender local economic development at both regional and local levels appears to be rather an instrument of control for the central government, raising a concern as to the link existing between fiscal decentralization, good governance and local economic development in councils in Ngoketunjia Division. Employing largely a quantitative approach and within the prism of survey research design, guided by the efficiency theory of local government, findings revealed that fiscal decentralization, good governance and the transfer of revenue assignments and expenditure responsibilities following the enactment of the decentralization code on local economic development in councils in Ngoketunjia division has achieved little local economic development, established statistically by a calculated chi square value which stood at 152.14 as opposed to table value 26.217, leading to the rejection of the alternative hypothesis while the null hypothesis was accepted. It was discovered again that, there is no significant link between fiscal decentralization, good governance and local economic development in Councils in Ngoketunjia Division, shown in the computation of chi square test that stood at 130.8, disparate to table value of 26.217. The outcome was the rejection of the alternative hypotheses and acceptance of the null hypothesis. The paper concludes that, in Cameroon and particularly in the councils in Ngoketunjia division, there is tight de-concentration power rather than fiscal decentralization and good governance, suggesting that, the impact of fiscal decentralization and good governance on local economic development in councils in Ngoketunjia division is simply an ideological construct yearning for effective implementation. Keywords: Fiscal Decentralisation, Good Governance, Local Economic Development, Decentralisation, Local Government

The Dilemma and Response of Ideological Education in Colleges and Universities

As the front line of youth ideology and public opinion, the actual effectiveness of ideological education in colleges and universities is directly related to the answer to the important question of “what kind of people to cultivate, how to cultivate people, and for whom to cultivate people”. There is an urgent need to closely combine the universality of ideological functions with the special requirements of ideological construction in colleges and universities. Ideological education in colleges and universities is faced with realistic dilemmas in terms of environment, subject and object, carrier and discourse, etc. The extreme importance of ideological work determines that strengthening ideological education in colleges and universities is imperative. Therefore, it needs to be guided and regulated by means of era orientation, value orientation, carrier extension and discourse transformation.

The Russian Orthodox Church in the system of socio-political interaction during the Great Patriotic War (using the example of the Penza region)

The transformation of the practices of state-confessional interaction during the Great Patriotic War is considered on an analysis of the office documentation of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church under the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR. The research methodology is based on the concept of social constructionism or the theory of constructing social reality, as well as new local history, which allows to study the factors and mechanisms of adaptation of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) to the new geopolitical situation and the tasks of socio-political integration on the scale of a specific region – the Penza region. The content and regional specifics of the activities of the Commissioner for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church are revealed. The key areas of activity are: consideration of petitions of believers to open churches and participation of the priesthood in mobilization activities of the authorities. Despite many years of atheistic policies, persecution and repression of the clergy, the population of the Penza region demonstrated the strength of the religious foundation of regional identity. This was more significant compared with ideological constructs imposed from the outside. During the Great Patriotic War, relations between believers and authorities were built in the direction from the suppression of religious life to the very effective inclusion of parish communities in solving national problems. Appeals from believers to open churches became increasingly widespread and persistent. Under the influence of growing religiosity and divinely sanctioned changes in the legal status of the Russian Orthodox Church, local authorities adopted new rules of the game. Governance practices are also gradually changing, and a constructive dialogue is being built in the triad: the commissioner as a representative of the state – the diocesan administration – the parish communities.

Unravelling Next Generation EU As A Transformative Moment: From Market Integration To Redistribution

This article aims to understand the extent to which Next Generation EU (NGEU) can truly be considered a substantive change without a constitutional amendment. It draws on the concept of “constitutional transformation” to unravel what kind of informal change NGEU has introduced and how this affects the interpretation of formally unaltered provisions. To this end, given the crucial importance of Article 125 TFEU in the distributive pattern of resources within the EU and its role in the ideological construction of EU intervention in the economy, the article assesses NGEU against this provision, claiming that forms and objectives of Union financial assistance have changed thanks to a new politically-accepted interpretation of Article 125 TFEU. It is submitted that this new meaning of Article 125TFEU reflects a deeper change in the fundamental political telos of the Union, namely a shift from Member States’ integration through the market to redistribution through public intervention, with material implications for Member States’ financial liabilities.

A STUDY ON FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE USED IN THE SELECTED SONGS OF THE “ENCANTO” MOVIE’S SOUNDTRACK

Practically, this research engages literary works to critically examine the figurative language represented in recent Disney animated films’ soundtrack, “Encanto”, which was released in 2021. Meanwhile, the urgency of this research is the need of thorough understanding of figurative language in the song’s lyrics. In relation to which, the objectives of this research is to find the kinds, the most dominant usage and general meaning of figurative language used in the selected songs of the original soundtrack of Disney’s animated film “Encanto”. As for the works of this research, it is to unpack the constructions of the figurative language through an analysis of the figuration of the Disney movie’s soundtrack. In this matter, this research analyze the lyrics which are discursively embodied in these Disney movies in complex and contradictory ways, for such and therefore Disney works on and through these bodies are then accordingly undertaken to fix and contain the ideological constructions of language, literature, and culture. Since language gives people the spirit and symbolic of expressions, in order to gather the aforesaid objectives, the researchers use qualitative method with descriptive approach, by gathering information mainly from books and international journals. The researcher discovered nine different kinds of figurative languages namely metaphor, simile, metonymy, irony, personification, paradox, hyperbole, synecdoche, and idiom. Apparently the researcher identified that the most figurative language used in such Disney’s animated film “Encanto” is metaphor.

The Ideological Heritage of Poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu in Promoting Ethnic Values Today

Objectives: This article aims to delve into the ideological legacy of poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu, focusing on key themes such as patriotic thought, the promotion of national heroism, ideas related to social reform, and humanistic perspectives. Additionally, the exploration extends to the poet's emphasis on promoting traditional cultural values. The overarching goal is to provide readers with a comprehensive and complete understanding of the valuable contributions embedded in Nguyen Dinh Chieu's thoughts.
 
 Methods: To achieve the outlined objectives, a meticulous analysis of Nguyen Dinh Chieu's writings and works is undertaken. This involves delving into historical and cultural contexts surrounding the poet's life to illuminate the influences on his ideological constructs. Furthermore, the study incorporates an examination of scholarly interpretations and critiques of Nguyen Dinh Chieu's contributions to ensure a well-rounded exploration.
 
 Results: The findings of this investigation reveal the multifaceted nature of Nguyen Dinh Chieu's ideological legacy. The article highlights the significance of his patriotic thought, the advocacy for national heroism, insights into social reform, and the infusion of humanistic ideals. Additionally, the role of traditional cultural values in shaping and enriching Nguyen Dinh Chieu's thoughts is identified and expounded upon.
 
 Conclusion: In conclusion, this article provides a holistic view of Nguyen Dinh Chieu's invaluable contributions to ideological discourse. The emphasis lies not only on understanding the various dimensions of his thoughts but also on the need to preserve, protect, and promote the poet's ideological values. Furthermore, the conclusion contemplates the enduring relevance of Nguyen Dinh Chieu's ideas in the ever-evolving landscape of international integration.

Reinterpretasi Peran Ideologi Muhammadiyah Terhadap Pemberantasan TBC (Tahayul, Bid’ah dan Churafat)

This research aims to determine the construct of Muhammadiyah ideology. This research is included in the qualitative research category with a literature review as the data collection method. The data used is in the form of concepts and understanding related to Muhammadiyah Ideology, the data sources are books and journals that examine Muhammadiyah Ideology in terms of outlook on life, life guidelines for Muhammadiyah citizens and Muhammadiyah strategies in realizing their life dreams. The data analysis technique uses a simplified approach. The results of the research show that Muhammadiyah Ideology is a set of understandings that contain Muhammadiyah views, life guidelines and strategies in realizing their life ideals. Muhammadiyah's outlook on life is reflected in the muqaddimah of Muhammadiyah's articles of association which contains views on anchor, society, views on Islamic teachings, upholding Islamic teachings, the prophet's arrival in the struggle, organizational views and Muhammadiyah's ideals. Muhammadiyah citizens' life guidelines discuss self- guidelines in religion, socializing in society, organizing and guidelines in state life. There are several Muhammadiyah strategies in realizing its life aspirations which are pursued by developing society related to aqidah, worship and morals, improving the quality of life of the community, developing Muhammadiyah cadres, strengthening Muhammadiyah associations and appropriate political and state strategies. Furthermore, this ideological construct can be used as a basis for developing instruments to measure the strength of Muhammadiyah ideology as well as to eradicate TB (Superstition, Bid'ah and Churafat) community diseases.