Critical Discourse Research Articles

Digital sovereignty and artificial intelligence: a normative approach

Digital sovereignty is a term increasingly used by academics and policymakers to describe efforts by states, private companies, and citizen groups to assert control over digital technologies. This descriptive conception of digital sovereignty is normatively deficient as it centres discussion on how power is being asserted rather than evaluating whether actions are legitimate. In this article, I argue that digital sovereignty should be understood as a normative concept that centres on authority (i.e., legitimate control). A normative approach to digital sovereignty is beneficial as it supports critical discourse about the desirability of actors’ assertions of control. It is also more closely aligned with traditional definitions of sovereignty that are grounded in ideas of sovereign authority. To operationalise this normative approach to digital sovereignty and demonstrate the deficiencies of a descriptive approach, the role that “Big Tech” companies are playing in controlling artificial intelligence is considered from both perspectives. Through this case study, it is highlighted that Big Tech companies assert a high degree of control (i.e., descriptive digital sovereignty), but that they lack strong input legitimacy and have a questionable amount of output legitimacy. For this reason, it is argued that Big Tech companies should only be considered quasi-sovereigns over AI.

Investigating Gender-Based Stereotypes in Advertisement Landscape: A Multimodal Analysis of an Indian Town

Abstract This study examines the prevalence of gender stereotypes in outdoor advertising within an Indian satellite town, focusing on the portrayal of women and men in stereotypical gender roles. Images of outdoor advertisements were collected from the busy streets and subjected to purposive sampling for analysis. The analysis was done with critical discourse analysis and multimodal discourse analysis. The results reveal a clear endorsement of men in powerful and high-status positions, while women are consistently depicted as objects and confined to traditional roles as homemakers. The purpose of this study is to emphasize the importance of addressing gender issues, not only for cultural understanding but also for recognizing the pervasive influence of gender-based social conditioning, which undermines the foundation of an equitable society.

A Battle on Social Media: Critical Discourse Analysis of the Sampradaya in Bali

Abstract This study focuses on the discourse battle on Facebook between two ideological perspectives on the existence of Sampradaya in Bali. Sampradaya refers to the Hindu spiritual community in Bali which has been adopting new traditions and practices from India since 1980. Since then, their presence in Bali has faced opposition, including the prohibition of Hare Krishna literature and the closure of Hare Krishna learning centers. Starting in 2019, this resistance has created a battleground of conflicting narratives that influence the public. This research aims to comprehend the representation of ideological perspectives and discourse battle strategies within the Sampradaya discourse on Facebook. This study combines Teun van Dijk’s discourse analysis model and nethnography. The analyzed discourses consist of 10 instances from 2022 to 2023. The research findings reveal dominant and marginal discourses representing ideological beliefs and political systems. The strategies employed include reproduction, distinction, rejection, exclusion, and transformation.

Anthropocentrism in Contemporary Chinese Dictionary: A Synergic Perspective of Critical Lexicographical Discourse Studies and Systemic Functional Linguistics

Abstract Critical Lexicographical Discourse Studies (CLDS) view the dictionary as a discourse and emphasize an ideological, ethico-political dimension to the lexicographical process. Combining CLDS with Systemic Functional Linguistics, this paper looks into how anthropocentrism is manifested linguistically in Contemporary Chinese Dictionary (Seventh Edition), the most influential authoritative general-purpose Chinese dictionary, by examining the transitivity and appraisal patterns in the definition texts concerning animals and plants. The analysis shows that animals and plants are seldom assigned agency in their own right and that the animals and plants are evaluated either positively or negatively according to whether they are useful to the human beings while their intrinsic value is ignored. In particular, animals are highlighted for their agricultural and medicinal use and plants for their medicinal and ornamental value. However, compared with its previous editions, the dictionary has shown an enhanced awareness of environmental protection by deleting the encyclopaedic information that describes the use of some rare animals’ meat, bones and fur. It is argued that, although modern general-purpose dictionaries are increasingly corpus-based and descriptive, their role in shaping social values and stances cannot be disregarded. Dictionary makers need to balance what words mean with what they can be said to mean or be allowed to mean (Moon, 2014). The study contributes to unmasking and denaturalizing the hidden ideology in colony texts such as the dictionary, enhances a critical use of dictionaries and helps develop the theory of critical lexicography and emerging ecolexicography.

From a ‘Peaceful and Prosperous China’ to ‘the China Virus’: Examining the Framing of China Through American Political Rhetoric

Abstract The period comprising the past thirty-two years since the collapse of the Soviet Union has seen a range of approaches taken by the United States in handling its relationship with China. Launched in November 2011, the ‘Pivot to Asia’ policy approach entailed new levels of engagement with ‘a peaceful and prosperous China’, but on the most challenging issues this approach also brought increasing confrontation. The West (in this case the United States) has a history of utilising Orientalist-style, ‘us vs them’ dichotomies to manipulate unequal relations of power with the East (known as the ‘Orient’) throughout history (originally with middle-eastern nations). By using tenets from Edward Said’s Orientalism and critical discourse analysis adapted from Normal Fairclough’s 3-dimensional model, this article seeks to establish whether the foreign policy rhetoric of the United States has shifted to frame China through an Orientalist worldview since the Obama Administration’s “Pivot to Asia” strategy in late 2011. The article analyses 52 speeches from the Obama and Trump Administrations, finding evidence of pro-orientalist themes and language being adopted for both. Whilst utilised to a lower degree, these ‘us vs them’ dichotomies do exist under President Obama’s more accommodating and calmer linguistic-style, being intertwined with language designed to project an image of welcoming cooperation (albeit in a condescending, back-handed way). The use of orientalist themes is more prominently provable under President Trump, with almost all major speeches pertaining to China containing high usage of orientalist tropes in a more openly xenophobic, racist fashion.

Understanding right-wing populists’ anti-abortion politics in Turkey: The symbolic violence of the state

This study investigates how symbolic violence is shaping anti-abortion stances associated with legitimising right-wing populist policies. The prominent questions are as follows: What are the institutional and politico-administrative mechanisms that are impacting anti-abortion politics in terms of material and symbolic violence? How and to what extent does anti-abortion politics influence the interplay between symbolic and material state violence? The study argues that reproduction-centred policies and material and symbolic violence have intensified through anti-abortion politics in the discursive context of the social reproduction crisis in Turkey. It explores the institutional actions and the legitimation mechanisms of anti-abortion policies in relation to the penetration of right-wing populist politics after the authoritarian turn of 2010. This qualitative case study uses critical discourse analysis. It interprets the public speeches of representatives of the government and documentary data concerning the ruling party’s programmes, development plans and relevant legislation. The research provides a gendered perspective on the anti-abortion policies that anchor right-wing populism in terms of the crisis of social reproduction. It also contributes to critical state theory and pre-existing feminist scholarship on right-wing populism.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Gender Representation in a Cameroonian ESL Textbook

This paper examines a Cameroonian ESL textbook – Mastering English: Student’s Book for Form 1, with the aim of investigating gender representation in this textbook. The study employed a document analysis design because data for the study was collected exclusively from the textbook. Data was collected by observing the images and by reading through the passages, dialogues and sentences in the textbook, and noting the various representations of the male and female genders. The study adopted the Critical Discourse Analysis approach to analyse data related to visibility, occupational roles and firstness in presentation in order to unveil the inequalities and power imbalance between the representation of the male and female genders in the textbook. The findings revealed that the male gender is given more visibility above the female in terms of pictorial and lexical representations. Besides, more occupational roles are assigned to males than to females in the textbook. Males equally dominate the first position in dialogues, common noun, proper noun and pronoun pairs. The study concludes that the dominance of the male over the female gender observed in the textbook is a replication of the gender imbalance that exists in the Cameroonian society. This study therefore brings to the limelight these gender imbalances in Cameroonian textbooks, and recommends that curriculum developers should always endeavour to strike a balance between the representation of the male and the female genders when designing educational materials.

Reality Show in the context of “Post-Documentary” Culture: Critics of Textual Approach

The purpose of the article is to review important aspects of the critical studies in foreign scientific discourse aimed at textual analysis of reality show as a genre and television format, which helps to reconsider its status as a phenomenon of “post-documentary” culture. The research methodology. The work uses, firstly, critical discourse analysis, which allows us to understand the limitations and counterproductiveness of textual analysis of reality show and helps to reveal the constitutive potential of television and cultural production practices, and, secondly, a cultural approach, which allowed us to identify the media-cultural features of reality show and show them as an element of “post-documentary” audio-visual culture in the XXI century. Scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time, through the prism of criticism of the textual approach, the peculiarities of reality show as a phenomenon of “post-documentary” audio-visual culture are revealed. Conclusions. It is proved that the counterproductiveness of the textual approach to the conceptualisation of reality show as a genre, since its production contradicts the general logic and the established perception of what a text should be. This genreform has more common with no certain genre traditions or textual features, but with the “processing of reality” at the intersection of fact and fiction, shifting attention from the text to its production. The proliferation of reality TV programmes illustrates the industry’s dependence on “reality” as a tool for advertising marketing and the logic of cultural production. It is affirmed that during conceptualising TV reality texts, it is necessary to pay attention to a number of industrial and market conditions and needs, which prioritises textual production practices and contexts that shape practical decisions, and allows for empirical access to the evolving and mutating genreform of reality show.

Child-Sacrificing Drag Queens: Historical Antecedents in Disinformative Narratives Supporting the Drag Queen Story Hour Moral Panic

This paper uses critical disinformation studies to analyze claims that LGBTQ+ communities “groom” children at “Drag Queen Story Hour” (DQSH). We identify anti-homosexual narratives in previous moral panics: the 1950s sexual psychopathy laws, Anita Bryant’s 1977 Save Our Children campaign, and the 1980s Satanic ritual abuse panic. Using critical discourse analysis, we find all disinformative narratives from previous moral panics present in the DQSH discourse, while new themes center transgender people and parental rights. We consider concerns over DQSH a moral panic responding to the gradual mainstreaming of gender nonconformity and increase in LGBTQ+ civil rights and social acceptance.

Enhancing tourism’s role in alleviating poverty: a bureaucratic approach to implementing SDG1 in China

ABSTRACT By adopting bureaucratic concepts from political science, this study seeks to identify effective strategies within the tourism industry to enhance the implementation of SDG1 in China’s governmental policies. Through a critical discourse analysis of policy documents from two county governments in Western Hunan Province and semi-structured interviews with local cadres, the study proposes a unified dual policy implementation model. This model encompasses two key dimensions: ‘hard’ institutional mobilisation and ‘soft’ relational governance. Furthermore, the study offers insights into a potential pathway for developing countries engaged in tourism-based poverty alleviation, especially those grappling with the challenges of implementation capacity traps.

THE CONSTRUCTIONS OF POWER: A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON BLACK AMERICAN WOMENAS PORTRAYED IN MAUD MARTHA AND THE HATE U GIVE

This study is an attempt to present a latent racial and gendered issue repeatedly taking place in American society as depicted by two novels produced within 70 years interval of time. Maud Martha was published in 1953 and The Hate U Give in 2017. Using critical discourse analysis and qualitative research methods, this article aims to explicate the causes of the unjust construction of Black women's power relations and how Black women cope with such unfavorable situations in such very different eras. Critical discourse analysis observes people's interactions through language because language is the basic element of life and the way truth and power are produced. In power contestation, discourse plays two opposing roles i.e., maintaining or preserving the system of dominion on one side and in another side fighting against the system of dominion. Seizing discourse means seizing power. The ongoing unjust construction of racial power relations is the major discourse that Maud Martha and Starr Carter have to live in. They exercise power producing discourses of their own as their resistance against the ongoing unfavorable major discourse. The contestation of power leads to hard mass demonstrations in The Hate U Give and a solemn understanding of living a peaceful life in Maud Martha.

How e-book vendors attract publishers and academic libraries to their platforms: A critical discourse analysis of vendors’ websites

Academic libraries primarily obtain access to e-books through vendors, rather than individual publishers. These vendors work as intermediary by connecting publishers as the content providers with academic libraries as consumers. Many LIS studies examine how libraries select e-book vendors, and a few research explore how publishers choose vendors to disseminate their e-resources; however, much less is known about vendors’ strategies used to attract both publishers and academic libraries. We have collected over 150 webpages related to e-book products from six major e-book vendors in humanities and social sciences—EBSCO, ProQuest, ProjectMUSE, JSTOR, ACLS, and De Gruyter, and grouped them based on three categories: 1) webpages without targeting a particular group of audience; 2) webpages designed for academic libraries/ librarians; 3) webpages designed for publishers. We then adopt Fairclough’s approach to critical discourse analysis, by moving beyond the examination of the literal meanings of the text, to explore how meaning is constructed at local, institutional, and societal levels. Specifically, we will examine three dimensions of the text: micro (description of the text), meso (interpretation of the meaning of the text), and macro (explanation of the relations between discourse and social context). This discourse analysis will systematically focus on these vendors’ self-identifications and how they market and communicate their missions and distinctions from other vendors to both publishers and libraries. We will present preliminary findings from the critical discourse analysis.

Discourses of Poverty: The Narratives of the Poor in Samar

The study aimed at exploring, through the view of the future for themselves and their children, the perceptions of the poor about the temporal dimensions of poverty. The study adopted a discursive perspective, to illustrate the hopes, dreams and expectations of the poor regarding their future and, ultimately, how they view their status and how the LGU officials would address the different faces and current status of poverty in their respective locality. The researchers used Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The following are the themes obtained from the responses of the participants: limited knowledge and lower health status, lack of ambition and motivation to improve the situation, inadequate basic needs like food due to large family size, and poverty are transmitted to the next generation. Eradicating poverty is a challenge that sees no means of receding. LGUs do whatever they can to improve people’s lives. Despite those programs and initiatives of the local government units, there are still municipalities in Samar that are experiencing poverty. The poorest of the poor in Samar suffer from a lack of jobs in rural areas, low motivation to pursue education, and limited resources for large families. This has led to a widening gap between the haves and have-nots. Add to that frequent natural disasters being experienced in Samar at least fifteen typhoons in a year which takes away what little the poor have. The fundamental solution for reducing poverty is to tackle poverty and to pursue equity in income, and education, provide more livelihood programs or interventions, and social participation. Community projects that focus on the restoration and development of social networks and social cohesion and the improvement of the social, communication, and coping skills of the deprived, should be encouraged.

Liberalism all the way down?

This paper analyses adult education for sustainable development policies, examining their dominant discursive orientations – neoliberal, liberal, and critical – across global, EU, and national levels. Focusing on Slovenia and its transnational policy influences in this field, it highlights a prevalent interplay of liberal and neoliberal discursive orientations alongside a comparatively limited presence of critical discourse. At the global level, the United Nations’ influence emphasises liberal discourse aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while the European Union policies exhibit a predominant neoliberal discourse, further solidified at the national level, particularly in more recent Slovenian policies. A prevalent interplay of neoliberal and liberal discourses characterises Slovenian adult education for sustainable development policies, reflecting the substantial influence of transnational actors.

Sports as an instrument of nationalism and patriotism: a systematic literature review on the role of sports in shaping national identity in various countries

This study investigates how nationalism and patriotism are reflected in sports across various countries through a systematic literature review (SLR). Sports are often used as a tool to disseminate nationalistic and patriotic values, shape national identity, and strengthen social and cultural bonds. This study identifies and analyzes relevant literature from the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases to provide a summary of current knowledge regarding the relationship between sports and nationalism/patriotism. The findings indicate that sports media plays a crucial role in propagating nationalism through the broadcasting of sports events, creating deep national narratives. Symbolism in sports also plays a role in reinforcing national identity, as seen in traditional sports in Scotland. Additionally, sports are used as a political tool to promote nationalism and political legitimacy, particularly in countries like China and South Korea, where sports heroes and naturalized players become symbols of nationalism and patriotism. The study also reveals that media shapes public perception of nationalism and patriotism through narratives that highlight athletes' achievements as a form of national sacrifice. Various theories and analytical approaches, including critical discourse analysis and necropolitical theory, are employed to understand the complex dynamics between sports and nationalism. In conclusion, sports have a multifaceted role in shaping social and cultural dynamics, as well as national identity in various countries. This research provides valuable insights for academics, policymakers, and sports practitioners in leveraging the potential of sports to promote nationalism, patriotism, and social cohesion at both national and international levels. By understanding this role, we can create a more cohesive and united society amidst increasingly complex global challenges.

Discursive struggles around constitutional reform: language and social change in Tunisia

ABSTRACT Using narrative (genre) analysis, part of the discourse historical approach (DHA) to critical discourse studies (CDS), this paper analyses discursive struggles in the Tunisian context of constitutional reform debates held in 2022. This methodological approach and political focus are then tied to the distinctly Tunisian concept of ‘asabiyya, a notion expressing forms of social solidarity/cohesion as devised by Tunisian philosopher of history Ibn Khaldūn (d.1406). The in-depth narrative genre analysis reveals the prevalence of the ironic-tragic modes of emplotment deployed by reform advocates aiming to subvert the totalizing discourses of the heroic romantic narratives, which are preferred by constitutional conservatives. The paper concludes by discussing the possible reasons for the prevalence of the nation-state as the master narrative in these disputes and the failure of ironic-tragic narratives to mobilize influential forms of ‘asabiyya during the constitutional struggles. The paper empirically contributes to understanding the processes of facilitated or blocked social change in post-Arab Spring societies.

Media construction of pseudo-events: Lula da Silva at the Portugal’s parliament during a historic annual celebration

The Carnation Revolution (25th April 1974) has changed the course of Portugal, leading it to transition from an autocratic to a democratic Government. Every year, celebrations are conducted at the national Parliament. In 2023, it counted with another guest: Lula da Silva, Brazil’s ongoing president. Considering the notion of cultural memory and media construction of social reality through media events, this article notes Lula da Silva’s presence and exceptional address was portrayed on newspaper front pages of several journalistic media outlets. Therefore, it aims at understanding meaning and discourse production with Lula da Silva’s visit to Portugal on the 25th April 2023 through media coverage and first page highlight. Lula da Silva is noticed by the front pages under analysis as a controversial, entertaining, and eventful celebrity linked to specific positioned actors that is invited to the Parliament and prompts indirectly and directly discontentment and, at the same time, support. Also, it discusses how such spotlight over Lula da Silva turned that visit and Parliament’s address it into a pseudo-event. Adopting a Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis approach, this research work intends to offer a multimodal eye upon those front pages and critically reflect on populism, coloniality, cultural memory, and journalism.

Human trafficking in nairaland digital community: A corpus-assisted critical discourse study

Human trafficking in Nigeria as a topical issue has enjoyed more sociological interrogation with very scant attention in linguistics and discourse. This paper applies a corpus-assisted critical discourse study to examine representative posts on human trafficking in Nigeria (2019 to 2022) retrieved from the Nairaland digital community. Using the Sketch Engine corpus tool and social actors representation model, this paper investigates how different constructions were deployed by participants to represent human trafficking, human traffickers and traffick victims in Nigeria. Findings suggest four constructions oriented to negativity: prostitution/commodification of sex, abuse of underage for sexual satisfaction, maltreatment of others for huge labour, dismembering of humans for occultism and health-assurance. Participants deployed role allocation, nominalisation, and others to negatively evaluate human traffickers, especially as economic usurpers, exploiters, and fraudsters, while the traffick-victims were represented as naïve, non-violent, armless, defenceless and (in)active recipients of the activities of the human traffickers. The dominant negative constructs manifested implicitly and explicitly through tagging, negative comparison, appeal to sentimentalities, and expression of detest, while the positive constructs of victims manifested through pity and appeal to humanity. Online participants attack the political class, and declare their ideological stances on human traffickers in Nigeria, making efforts to project suppressed stances.

How is autism portrayed in news media? A corpus-based, mixed-methods analysis in China

IntroductionNews media play an important role in shaping public perceptions of and attitudes toward people with autism. This study examines news reports about autism in China Daily over the past 20 years, from 2003 to 2022.MethodsThis study employed both quantitative and qualitative analyses.ResultsThe findings reveal that news coverage on autism predominantly centers on children, with a significant shift in focus from support by family members and schools to support at the broader societal and governmental levels. Further, the overall representation of autism remains predominantly negative and rooted in prejudice. In terms of gender representation, autism is often depicted more frequently as male-oriented. However, a more diverse representation of age groups has emerged. Finally, while news media subtly convey negative attitudes toward autism, they also demonstrate a concurrent concern for the condition, reflecting a complex and nuanced attitude toward people with autism.DiscussionOur study indicates that corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis allows researchers to compare news over time, thus offering insights into changing discourses. The analysis can also reduce bias and uncover the implicit attitudes of news media toward autism by analyzing patterns of words and discourses.

Cultivating Environmental Ignorance: Non-Circulation of Ethnomedicinal Knowledge about Culén (Otholobium glandulosum) in the Atlantic World (1646–1810)

A growing body of literature recognises the importance of exploring the uses of plants in historical written sources. The Chilean native plant culén (Otholobium glandulosum) has a long history of medicinal use, with various parts of the plant, including its leaves, aerial parts, and roots, employed to treat numerous ailments. This study undertakes a Critical Discourse Analysis of historical sources, specifically books published between the 17th and early 19th centuries (1646–1810), focusing on the medicinal applications of culén. The research highlights the circulation of plant knowledge over time by adopting an interdisciplinary approach that bridges historical ethnobotany, environmental history, and the history of knowledge and ignorance studies. The study reveals how the evolution of the ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal knowledge of culén reflects the broader environmental ignorance, wherein the scientific community excluded and oppressed the indigenous and local knowledge of the plant. This work underscores the importance of integrating historical studies into modern environmental and botanical research, emphasising the value of understanding past knowledge systems to inform contemporary conservation efforts and sustainable practices.