natalie koch geography 5161 march 2, 2009. discourse “a specific constellation of knowledge and...
Post on 18-Dec-2015
216 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Discourse AnalysisNatalie Koch
Geography 5161March 2, 2009
Discourse analysis Discourse
• “a specific constellation of knowledge and practice through which a way of life is given material expression” (Doel 2003, 49)
Discourse analysis• “discloses how this constellation of
knowledge and power is structured, and situates it within its appropriate social, cultural and geo-historical context” (Doel 2003, 49)
Postmodernism “incredulity toward metanarratives” reality and identities as chaotic,
messy, multiple, plural emphasizes multiple interpretations
of a text, its silences, incoherencies, limits, unintended effects
Origins
Lyotard
Derrida
Foucault
Latour
What is a text?
MapsGuidebooksFilmsTelevision(Urban) landscapesGov’t publicationsAcad. publicationsMuseumsNewspapers
PhotographsTextbooksComic booksPolitical cartoonsMonumentsSpeeches??
Discourse analysis tools Semiotics Textual deconstruction Content analysis Reading landscapes Iconology Hermeneutics
Strengths Weaknesses
Broad application Challenging
dominant discourses
Useful starting point for mixed-methods studies
Entry point for words/world debate
One-sided, selective, subjective
Quantification difficulties (content analysis)
Time-consuming (especially without software)
The reception question Original theory vs. contemporary
application Discourses as inseparable from the
context in which they are produced Multiplicity of interpretations of texts –
limitations of the researcher’s analysis Analyst as the detached observer
• Sharpe 2000 – critique of Ó Tuathail’s Critical Geopolitics – where does he stand?
Examples Dowler 2001 Dittmer 2005 Falah 2005 McDowell 2008 Megoran 2005 O’Loughlin, Ó Tuathail, Kolossov 2004
Dowler 2001
Dittmer 2005
The “clash of civilizations” imagination in Captain America: Terrorists seize control
of the church in Centerville
Falah 2005
“The Visual Representation of Muslim/Arab Women in Daily Newspapers in the United States”
• 2 media portrayals of Muslim women passive victims active political agents
McDowell 2008
Megoran 2005
O’Loughlin, Ó Tuathail, Kolossov 2004
“Russian geopolitical storylines and public opinion in the wake of 9-11”
Storylines1. Putin’s “common enemy” storyline2. “Skeptical” storyline3. “American imperialism” storyline
Attitudes of ordinary Russians - surveys
top related