Discourse in social change

1
Discourse in social change

• Ideology is the prime means of manufacturing
  consent (Fairclough 2001)

2
Text is ideologically creative

• Individual
• Commonsensical
• Related to ones position in society
• Develop knowledge about ourselves (technologies
  of the self)

3
Discourse and social struggle

• Physical struggle (revolution, war,
  demonstrations, protests, elections)
• Ideological struggle in language
• Ideological power (having power to legitimize and
  to naturalize)

4
Discourse types

• Ideologically particular or ideologically
  variable (one position or another)
• Determined by different economic and political
  realities (elite and dominant block)
• Naturalization and universality of discourses
  (sustaining power in social institutions)

5
Alternative discourses

• Conscious (against dominant discourse)
• Oppositional (resistance)
• Marginal to political and economic dominance

6
Presentation of experiential values through words

• Coded in vocabulary
• Significance of ideology in words (subversive,
  democratic forces, etc)
• Example of the Contra war in Nicaragua freedom
  fighters or murderers

7
Relations between words in discourse

• Ideologically contested
• Meaning depending on the discourse
• Depending on the relation of some words with
  others (Evil Empire)

8
Contemporary capitalism is characterized by a
degree of colonization of peoples lives by
systems such as the economy and state
institutions in which discourse is the most
important tool
9
Two ways of colonization of peoples lives

• Consumerism(economy and commodity markets)
• Institutional control (bureaucracy, social order)

10
Social tendencies

• Imposed by the dominant block
• They change according to the change of these
  tendencies
• Discourse of consumerism re-structuring of other
  discourse types
• Strategic discourse

11
The dimensions of ideological work in advertising

• 1) The relationship advertising discourse
  construct
• between the producer/advertiser and the consumer
• 2) The way advertising discourse builds an
  imagine
• for the product (predicated on the ideology
  (freedom, richness, efficiency, etc)
• 3) The way it constructs subject positions
• for consumers

12
Cultural capitalism

• The process of industrialization and
• urbanization that has destroyed traditional
• cultural ties
• Traditional ties (extended families, religion
• or ethnic community) are replaced (ties of class)

13
How do advertising construct consumption
communities?
14
It does it indirectly

• Through ideology
• Superficial view of the relationship between
  truth and fiction
• Commons sense assumptions

15
Works ideologically through

• Building relations
• Building images
• Building the consumer

16
Discussion question

• Give me an example of a common sense assumption
  in a power relationship. How can this common
  sense assumption contribute to sustaining unequal
  power relations?