Power Of Discourse Research Articles

Making Fun of the Make-believe: How The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest Takes Revenge on the Discourse of Power

Making Fun of the Make-believe: How The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest Takes Revenge on the Discourse of Power

Exploring the concept of evil in Japanese anime: a multifaceted perspective

Beyond its captivating narratives and stunning visuals, Japanese anime offers audiences worldwide a unique window into Japan's rich history, culture, philosophy and values. Within this vast and diverse universe, there exists a recurring and multifaceted thematic exploration — theodicy and the philosophy of 'evil'. This study aims to comprehensively deconstruct and examine the portrayal of 'evil' in Japanese anime emphasizing its substantial relevance within the broader discourse of Japan's soft power. Characters' behaviors, actions, curses, lability, suffering, natural disasters, wars, natural humanity, monsters are presented in a way that prompts viewers to question the true nature of evil, if there is any. Fundamental to this study is the notion that 'evil' in anime is not an absolute, fixed concept, but rather an ephemeral perspective. Moreover, sometimes anime delves into the unconventional portrayal of the supreme beings as evil, challenging traditional dichotomies of g(o)od and (d)evil, which from a certain reality-level do not exist anymore. In anime, the only things that exist are will and power, the way that they are used being a matter of perspective. What is the systematic cycle of evil in anime and how will it affect the next generation's mentality.

Analysis of the Construction of Discourse Power in Short Video Media Texts—Taking the Virtual Internet Celebrity “Liu Yexi” as an Example

Analysis of the Construction of Discourse Power in Short Video Media Texts—Taking the Virtual Internet Celebrity “Liu Yexi” as an Example

A Critical Review of Women’s Consumption and Empowerment in China

As Chinese women become more educated and participate in the labor force, they earn more money independently. At the same time, thanks to China's one-child policy, women have gained more intergenerational wealth. The economic foundation allowed Chinese women to play bigger power in the consumer market, and a phenomenon called "Her Economy" since 2007. The improvement of discourse power and economic empowerment of Chinese women in the consumer market rendered them better achieve self-empowerment. However, female behavior is also shaped by society, and female consumption is more likely to be influenced by consumer culture and become the background board of consumer society, and women find it difficult to achieve real empowerment through consumption. Although the existing literature has explored this issue, the research field has not been extended to Chinese female consumers, and the theoretical perspective of empowerment is lacking. Thus, this paper reviews women’s consumption and empowerment in China from a critical perspective.

Critical Discourse Analysis of Japanese Mainstream Media Reports on China’s Aid to Africa: Based on Corpus Data

This paper conducts a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analysis of coverage on China’s aid to Africa by the mainstream Japanese media, Asahi Shimbun, using corpus linguistics and Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis model. The study collected relevant news articles from Asahi Shimbun published between 1984 and 2023. Using the timeline of the coverage as a framework, it carried out statistical analyses, including word frequency analysis, co-occurrence analysis, and correlation analysis, accompanied by visualization techniques. By integrating historical context, the study explores the linguistic features and evolving focal points across different periods of reporting. Through analyzing word frequency, keyword indexing, collocations, and grammatical structures, the study reveals the underlying meaning of the discourse, exposing Japan’s ideology and discourse power structure within the media’s narrative. This research offers new perspectives and methodologies for exploring the interplay between media, international relations, and development aid.

Strategies to Construct Contemporary International Discourse Power of Chinese Ceramic Culture

Strategies to Construct Contemporary International Discourse Power of Chinese Ceramic Culture

노희경 드라마 장애 여성 서사에 관한 연구

This article takes the female characters with disabilities in Noh Hee-Kyeong’s TV series as the research object, and uses Lacan’s mirror theory and aggression theory to analyze the characteristics of female characters with disabilities, the metaphor of disability as a power discourse, and the self-identity challenges and aggressive nature of female characters with disabilities' narratives. The research results are as follows: First, the women with disabilities characters in Noh Hee-Kyeong’s TV series all grew up in incomplete native families. Their personality formation is deeply influenced by their father or mother, and they have some kind of paranoia or defect. Secondly, ｗith the exception of those with Down syndrome, female characters with disabilities all have beautiful looks. The screenwriter chose visual impairments, hearing impairments and mental impairments that do not affect femininity, so that female characters with disabilities still have sexual appeal. Disability metaphors contain deep gendered power discourses. Thirdly, the love narratives of women with disabilities are intrusive in nature. Whether it is a physical disability or a mental disability, women with disabilities are not treated equally by men without disabilities. They are still tools to satisfy men's desire for conquest.

Experiencing al-Ḥusayn’s Suffering: Qamahzanī in the Shīʿī Mourning Tradition

Qamahzanī (or qamazanī, qama-zanī, i.e., mortifying oneself with a sharp object) is one of the most controversial components of the Shīʿī mourning culture. This ceremony aims to share and experience al-Imām al-Ḥusayn’s pain, and it has been performed by various Shīʿī communities for the last centuries. Historical data show that qamahzanī has been practiced in Iran since the Safavid period and spread to other countries with large Shīʿī populations, such as Syria and Iraq, during the Qajar period. Travel books that describe mourning in Iran during the Safavid period provide essential data about the first examples of qamahzanī, its transformation, and its place in popular religiosity. In addition, since the Safavid era, Shīʿī scholars have adopted different attitudes toward qamahzanī, and this ritual has been the subject of politics as well as piety. This article aims to understand the historical course of qamahzanī as well as its relationship with religion and politics and, indirectly, to question the power of high religious discourse to shape popular religiosity.

The Сoncept of International Discourse Power in China’s Foreign Policy Ideology

As China’s material power strengthens and US-China strategic competition deepens, the concept of international discourse power is becoming increasingly important in China’s foreign policy ideology. Beijing assumes that China’s increased material power has not been translated into international discourse power; in the context of developing US-Chinese rivalry, China is at a disadvantage in terms of its international discourse power, and the persistence of Western “discourse hegemony” in the world is holding back further development of China and the implementation of its national interests. According to many Chinese scholars, the essence of the struggle for international discourse power is the desire to dominate the world order, including its creation, maintenance and revision. Possession of discourse power allows a country to influence the world political and economic order and values, determine the international agenda and thereby acquire greater economic and geopolitical power, as well as occupy leading role in global governance. Increased influence on the world arena is seen in Beijing as closely linked to the strengthening of international discourse power. The article reconstructs the genesis and development of the concept of international discourse power in the Chinese official and academic fields, identifies independence in the Chinese theoretical understanding of this concept and the high applied significance of its research as aimed at finding ways to shape China’s discourse power. The article focuses on the main provisions, logic and argumentation of Chinese scholars in the process of their conceptualization of the phenomenon of international discourse power.

HOME TRIAD: A NEW WAY TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF HOME FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA

Abstract Highlighted by the frequent stating “I want to go home,” understanding the meaning of home for people living with dementia (PLWD) is crucial to provide them better care and environment. Our novel theoretical framework, termed ’home triad’, abstracts “home” into three interconnected pillars: conceived, perceived, and lived home. We conducted in-depth interviews with five PLWD, who were over 65 years old with MMSE scores between 11-24, received home care, and could understand and consent to the study. Their caregivers were also consulted for member-checking. The findings showed that the early memories of home were more vivid. The lived home experience held paramount significance; while stable housing was vital, family was of utmost importance to PLWD. Additionally, a gender-based distinction in lived home was evident. It was also found that PLWD’s perceived daily activities and lived memories expanded their home beyond their immediate residence, encompassing neighborhoods, villages, and cities. Within home triad, we noticed that the conceived home, focusing on the discourses of power and knowledge, could easily be overlooked. Yet, focusing on this pillar revealed the pivotal roles of design and caregivers in shaping PLWD’s home, which in turn influenced perceived and lived experiences. Through home triad, we can better appreciate profound home memories for PLWD. This could bolster reminiscence therapy and enable more effective home modifications, or even improve institutional homelike environments. Our future direction aims to refine and apply home triad with more home stories, thereby informing research and practice to enhance dementia-friendly environment and PLWD’s well-being.

Towards Eco-Organology and Paper Flute Design to Disrupt the Plastic Recorder Industry

In this article, the concept of “distributed capitalism” (Rifkin, 2011) is used to shift power among administrators, performers and audiences to problematise the homogeneity of unsustainable instrument materials. This shift involves adopting a participatory approach where musicians as key stakeholders get to choose their materials and self-construct their instruments. Instruments, society and ecosystems have intersecting and overlapping relationships that should be studied interdependently through eco-organology (Guy, 2009; Titon, 2013; Allen, 2013; Dawe, 2016), especially when mainstream culture consumption plays a crucial role in the struggle between sustainable materials for instruments and the ecosystem. As an example, mainstream production companies such as Yamaha, Aulos and Fender have standardised the industry and cornered the market for consumers in a top-down consumption model. Educators, artists, and retailers promote the consumption of mainstream instruments, further reinforcing their power of discourse in the materials field. Contesting standardisation, eco-organology involves the study of network relations between tangible materials and aesthetics from the viewpoint of culture and society. As an alternative material, this research project shared paper flutes with elementary school students and conducted over 20 workshops in Southern Taiwan where musicians of all ages self-constructed paper flutes. Paper is readily accessible, recyclable and allows end-users to follow an instruction manual, cut a template out and fold it into a playable flute. End-users participated in material selection, instrument construction and many became critically informed about current environmental issues with the plastic recorder industry. We argue that eco-organology helps decentralise mainstream instruments by educating end-users about eco-friendly materials.

MODERNIZATION CONCEPT AND SOCIAL IMAGINATION: METHODOLOGICAL NOTES

Since its inception, the theory of modernization has undergone so many transformations that it makes sense to speak of a «modernization discourse» rather than a theory and to consider the concept itself from the point of view of social epistemology in conjunction with social imagination. This paper is devoted to substantiating this approach. The concept of modernization is interesting in this regard because it contains not only hermeneutic but also prescriptive elements: by placing society in a broader historical framework of past, present and future, it creates a normative horizon for self-understanding and social transformation. It allows us to imagine our society as a historical whole, to imagine a social ideal and social development as a path towards it. At the same time, it appeals to the images of the social imagination - the social imaginary, depending on the context. A separate question, therefore, is what semantic load this concept receives when it is adopted by a different socio-cultural and political context. Such research could help to understand the internal logic of political processes in a society and its destiny. The paper consists of three subsections: the first is devoted to an overview of theories of modernization and their transformation under the influence of social epistemology; the second deals with the imagination as an anthropological a priori for considering social imagination; finally, the last subsection, which also serves as a conclusion, justifies why, given the purpose of the study, it is more appropriate to consider the concept of modernization in the context of the social imagination rather than as an ideology. The concept of ideology refers to political bias, to the question of truth and a critique of power discourse. In contrast, the concept of social imagination is politically neutral and refers to a cultural background of politics. It thus circumvents Man nheim’s paradox by being conceptualized as constitutive of a political order.

Setting the Stage

Within scholarly and professional LIS literature, researchers and practitioners have applied the language, theory, and practices of stage performance to the context of academic library instruction. Recognizing the power of discourse in shaping professional norms and values, I wonder: How might the widespread presence of performance-based approaches to library instruction impact assumptions and expectations of those librarians who provide it? To better identify, interrogate, and imagine the implications of this discourse, this article first provides a review of the scholarship that has contributed to and resisted the phenomenon of library-instruction-as-performance, drawing upon the work of researchers who have engaged with theatrical, dramatic, or comedic approaches to library instruction. Using content analysis and close reading, I then analyze recent academic library conference programs to further understand how this thinking has been brought to life through professional development opportunities. Upon discovering a cluster of emotional themes within these texts, I follow how the discourse of performance in library instruction intersects with the concept of emotional labour in libraries, exploring how performance-based approaches can both demand emotional labour from and provide emotional reprieve to instruction librarians. In doing so, I focus on the interplay of professional discourse in library instruction and behavioural expectations of librarians—including their emotional expressions—to better understand how these phenomena co-exist and reinforce one another.

Research on Grading and Evolution of International Trade Development Quality of City Clusters Based on Logit-ISM Modeling

Abstract In order to further accelerate the realization of high-quality development of international trade and enhance the discourse power in international trade activities, this paper explores the grading and evolution of the quality of international trade development of city clusters. After analyzing the DEA static model and DEA-Malmquist dynamic evaluation model, combined with the entropy value method, the entropy value-DEA model is constructed to measure the comprehensive evaluation of the quality of international trade development of the city cluster, and the results are comprehensively analyzed. In addition, combined with the Logit-ISM model to analyze the factors affecting the development quality of international trade of city cluster and explore the grading and evolution of the development quality of international trade of city cluster from two perspectives of global statistics and global spatial trend. The results show that the fluctuation of the trade structure score is smaller than the trade scale, with an average growth rate of 0.165, and the trade competitiveness score basically stays in a state of growth except for 2008 and 2009, with an average annual growth rate of 0.972. The urban agglomerations in the eastern region account for a total of 0.38 of the city agglomerations in the city agglomerations synthesis, and the number of prefectural-level cities included is 106, which accounts for a total of 0.52 of the number of prefectural-level cities included in the city agglomerations. The quality of international trade development in city clusters in the eastern and northeastern regions stands out as the most significant. Based on the research in this paper, we advocate for the balanced development of the quality rating and evolution of each city cluster in international trade development.

The Discourse Power Construction of Male Beauty Bloggers and the Disciplined Female Audience from the Perspective of Body

The Discourse Power Construction of Male Beauty Bloggers and the Disciplined Female Audience from the Perspective of Body

Hyper reality, Discursive Power and Resistance in Don Delillo's White Noise

The exertion of power is interwoven with the concept of the loss of the real in Don DeLillo’s White Noise (1985). The present study aims to survey the relations between power and loss of the real in this novel based on Jean Baudrillard's postmodern theories of hyperreality and simulation, and Michel Foucault's theories of power discourses and resistance. As a qualitative, research-based study, this article highlights discourses of power like media, advertising, supermarkets and medical technology to show how reality is concealed and hyperreality takes its place in the novel. According to Foucault, discourses generate power. It is discussed that discourses of power dominate people and they successfully pretend to be the only source of validation. It shall be indicated that the Gladneys are influenced by such exertions of power. However, Jack Gladney resists the power and tries to make other characters aware of the manipulative power of media, advertisements and medical technology which produces a fake drug called Dylar. Besides, Murray resists the persuasive power of advertising of supermarkets by not buying the advertised brands and products which distorts the reality behind consumerism of postmodernism. Therefore, the findings of the study show that there are significant relations between the exertion of power and the loss of the real in White Noise (1985).

Beyond the discourses of policy and power: HIV, AIDS, and community perspectives on the lived pandemic

As HIV unfolded in the 1980s, HIV and AIDS were heard and seen through the lives of those whom it touched directly. Personal histories were foregrounded, centred by the inevitable mortality attached to HIV infection, the courage of circumstance in the face of illness, and the activism necessary to make a difference. In the later part of the decade, the impacts of HIV were most apparent in East Africa, where community responses and political leadership coalesced to reduce new HIV infections. The 1990s marked a turn towards centralised policy, funding, and the reification of biomedically oriented approaches and systems that are intrinsically top-down. This biomedical turn centred on foregrounding the widespread availability of low-cost antiretroviral therapy and was articulated in the 90-90-90 and subsequent targets. Biomedicalisation reinforces individualised approaches to health primarily focused on biomedical technologies and health service provision that do not rely on community or social organisation formats. Emphasis on HIV treatment, along with the promise of reduced HIV transmission through viral load suppression, contributed to limiting socio-behavioural approaches to HIV prevention. While the importance of community-led response was highlighted in the 2016 United Nations Political Declaration on Ending AIDS, community-led response has devolved towards concepts such as community-led monitoring and community-led response that frame responses in direct relation to the dominant biomedical paradigm. There are lessons in the history of the AIDS response that demonstrate that communities formulate responses to AIDS differently when there have been opportunities for community members to determine the pathways for action to address HIV independently. Older research studies offer retrospective insights into moments in the history of HIV when communities were foregrounded and highlighted the need to reconsider the current trajectory of the HIV response. Not only for history’s sake but to acknowledge that community leadership remains overwhelmed by elites. While lofty targets and goals drive the contemporary HIV response, the way forward is mired by uncertainty. HIV prevention efforts remain uneven, and millions of people living with HIV depend on access to treatment for decades to come in the context of budgetary uncertainties. Changing the course of AIDS will not be achieved if we fail to ensure that communities occupy a genuine and unambiguous place in shaping HIV response.

Professionelle Authentizitat

The idea of an authentic self is at the heart of building trust in NGO fundraising. This paper asks how personal fundraising by paid workers ( ‚dialogers‘) relates to expectations of authenticity. Building on a review of the online self-representations of NGO fundraising agencies’ and on an ethnographic study of fundraisers’ work, it traces where the concept of the authentic self becomes relevant in fundraising and how it relates to notions of neoliberal labour. A conceptual history of personal authenticity, attempts at interpretation from cultural studies and media studies, as well as reflections on authenticity in fundraising marketing serve as approaches to the research field and lead to an account of the dialogers’ narrative selves. This enables a reflection on how authenticity as a powerful discourse relates to NGOs and to neoliberal worlds of work in general. The paper aims to condense the broad theory on personal authenticity and relate it to salaried work in the context of voluntary engagement. Furthermore, the examination of this special case of professional trust work helps to review assumptions that all too quickly arise from the interpretive pattern of ‚neoliberalism‘.

The Discourse Power of The Target Language in External Communication

“Telling the story of China well and mastering China's leadership” is related to the establishment of China's international image and the maintenance of its international discourse power. With the continuous enhancement of China's technological and economic strength, frequent foreign exchanges, and increasing international influence, going global has become an inevitable trend. In the process of external communication, the discourse power of the target language plays a leading role in the direction of international public opinion. Only words that are understandable to both parties are more conducive to expressing their own demands and ideas, and promoting China's entry into the international stage.

Digital Storytelling as Sociotechnical Imaginary: The performative power of journalistic innovation discourse

This article zooms in on the sociotechnical imaginaries within the discourse on digital storytelling as journalistic innovation in the Netherlands. It analyzes how digital storytelling is discussed since 2015 on the online platforms of the Dutch Journalism Fund and the Dutch Association of Journalists, two central intermediary organizations within the Dutch journalistic landscape that play a vital role in the debate about journalistic innovation and journalism’s future. My analysis shows that this discourse provides a rather one-dimensional and uniform sociotechnical imaginary that presents the future as one in which digital-savvy news consumers can only be engaged through a more captivating way of reporting, allowing for more interactivity and forms of storytelling that draws them into the story on an experiential and emotional level. The techno-centric focus reinforces the already prevalent understanding of journalistic innovation as primarily a matter of mastering and exploiting the digital affordances of new technological tools and platforms without questioning or problematizing how this impacts journalism’s professional ethics and subsequently its cultural authority.