scholarly journals Re-directing socialist persuasion through affective reiteration: a discourse analysis of ‘Socialist Memes’ on the Chinese internet

AI & Society ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruichen Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Affect Theory ◽  
Official Language ◽  
Affective Engagement ◽  
Social Fabric ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Message

AbstractPrevious research has noted the ambiguous persuasive potentials of reiteration: repeating a statement, slogan or image can work both positively and negatively, can both help and hinder the effectiveness of a political message. Considering that repeated propaganda in China is broadly ineffective in generating wholehearted public support, this article is interested in how and when repetition does achieve meaningful persuasion. Drawing on affect theory to address these multiple potentials, it critically reconsiders the nature of persuasion itself, arguing that affective engagement is crucial in sustaining and consolidating temporary tendencies that lead to alteration in the social fabric. Looking at humorous ‘socialist memes’ popularised on the Chinese internet in recent years, the article conducts a discourse analysis on the patterns they reveal to break down this reiterative practice as an unfolding event, revealing how its humour disrupts official language and engages the public affectively. It argues that practice of repeating these memes produces interpretive ambiguities around the official language, and in doing so re-directs socialist persuasion towards a liberalised end.

scholarly journals The Limits of Income Inequality: Public Support for Social Policy across Rich Democracies

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nate Breznau ◽  
Carola Hommerich
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Public Support ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Liberal Societies ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Income Concentration

Does public opinion react to inequality, and if so, how? The social harms caused by increasing inequality should cause public opinion to ramp up demand for social welfare protections. However, the public may react to inequality differently depending on institutional context. Using ISSP and WID data (1980-2006) we tested these claims. In liberal institutional contexts (mostly English-speaking), increasing income inequality predicted higher support for state provision of social welfare. In coordinated and universalist contexts (mostly of Europe), increasing inequality predicted less support. Historically higher income concentration predicted less public support, providing an account of the large variation in inequality within the respective liberal and coordinated contexts. The results suggest opinions in liberal societies – especially with higher historical inequality – reached the limits of inequality, reacting negatively; whereas in coordinated/universalist societies – especially with lower historical inequality – opinions moved positively, as if desiring more inequality.

scholarly journals They Are Not My Problem: A Content and Framing Analysis of References to the Social Determinants of Health within Canadian News Media, 1993-2014

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelsey Lucyk
Keyword(s):  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
News Media ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Framing Analysis ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Responsibility Of Government ◽  
Déterminants Sociaux

As public support is essential for implementing policies that act on the underlying social determinants of health (SDOH), it is important to consider how the public is exposed to this issue. This article explores how the SDOH have been represented in Canadian news media articles from 1993 to 2014. Of the 113 articles that explicitly included SDOH, housing (12.9%), income (10.5%), and poverty (9.3%) were most frequently reported. Over time, the reporting of SDOH increased, with peaks of coverage occurring at different times for different determinants (e.g., housing in 2005, income in 2009). A framing analysis revealed that the SDOH are presented in multiple ways: as an actionable issue and responsibility of government, a moral responsibility, and—problematically—as an issue that only affects disadvantaged groups.L’appui du public est essentiel pour mettre en œuvre des politiques portant sur les déterminants sociaux de la santé (DSS). Il est donc important de tenir compte de la manière dont on informe le public sur cette question. Cet article explore comment des articles parus dans des journaux canadiens ont représenté les DSS de 1993 à 2014. Dans les 113 articles se rapportant explicitement aux DSS, les trois thèmes suivants étaient prédominants : logement (12,9%), revenu (10,5%) et pauvreté (9,3%). Au fil du temps, le nombre d’articles sur les DSS a augmenté, atteignant des sommets à des moments différents pour des thèmes différents (par exemple, logement en 2005, revenu en 2009). Une analyse des cadres a montré que les médias représentent les DSS de manières diverses : en tant que question recevable et responsabilité du gouvernement, en tant que responsabilité morale et—de manière problématique—en tant que problème qui touche seulement les groupes défavorisés.

Learning together to be ourselves: a collaborative portrait of affect in relation

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-136
Author(s):  
Râna Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Affect Theory ◽  
Care Practice ◽  
Collaborative Culture ◽  
Subject Formation ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Public Sphere

Þjóðmyndir was a collaborative photography project carried out by individuals frequenting two social service organisations that work in close partnership in Ísafjörður, Iceland, under the guidance of the author. It offered participants an opportunity to express themselves creatively in the public sphere and aimed to engage them in participative processes of learning, creating and reflecting to this end. The project struggled with the participatory and collaborative research traditions that informed it, yet it defined its own, unique collaborative culture around the social learning that emerged from the participants’ entering into relation with and emotionally affecting one another. Consequently, it succeeded at creating a space for the processes of subject formation inherent to discussions of both collaborative research and social-relational affect. This paper examines instances of affect and collaboration particular to the project through the lens of disability studies in order to advance an understanding of the intersectional relevance of affect theory and collaborative methodologies to social care practice.

scholarly journals A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Ontario Government's Dissemination Of The FDK Program

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Willetts
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Social Citizenship ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government ◽  
Full Day

This major research paper applies a critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine the Ontario government’s rationalization of full day kindergarten to the public and the underlying discursive representation of social citizenship that the government sets forth. A content analysis of nineteen textual documents identified twelve rationales for FDK. A social investment discourse was identified as the dominant discourse underlying these rationales, while a social justice discourse and a combination of both discourses was also present. A CDA of three textual documents indicated that the Ontario government employed nominalization, modality and interdiscursivity to perpetuate the social investment discursive representation of FDK. The prevalence of social investment discourse in the Ontario government’s rationalization of FDK holds important implications for advancing just and caring early childhood policy for all children and families.

scholarly journals A Discourse Analysis of Canadian PM’s Speech after New Zealand Christchurch Mosque Shootings

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
General Public ◽  
Social Practices ◽  
The Public ◽  
Persuasive Strategies ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Linguistic Characterization

We use language for different purposes that are mostly related to the social practices in different contexts and perspectives. Discourse analysis is one of the disciplines which examines the use of language from different perspectives to reach a possible understanding of the discourse. This paper is also an attempt to analyze language used in a particular context and perspective to understand and expose some constructed realities. The objective of this study is to examine the Canadian PM’s moral and ideological standpoint, his commitment to show solidarity with the grieved community, his determination to eradicate terrorism and his linguistic characterization of terrorism that he confirmed in his speech in the House of Common on March 18, 2019 after the Christchurch Mosque Shootings in New Zealand. The analysis is based on Fairclough’s conceptions in CDA. It claims that ideologies and texts are interrelated, and it is not possible to break this link between ideologies and texts because the texts can be interpreted in maximum possible ways. This study analyzes the components of ideology and persuasion used in Justin Trudeau’s speech to reveal his commitment and persuasive strategies against terrorism, and it gives new hopes to the targeted communities worldwide as well as the general public. He tried to ensure the public that they are not alone because the world leaders and the heads of the states are unconditionally united to eradicate worldwide terrorism.

scholarly journals The Women Activism in Pakistan: An Analysis of ‘Aurat March

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-69
Author(s):  
Syeda Mehmoona Khushbakht ◽  
Munazza Sultana
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Women's Rights ◽  
Analysis Approach ◽  
Women’S Rights ◽  
Women's Activism ◽  
Current Time ◽  
Religious Transformation ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship

In Pakistan, although women’s activism was initiated since the country came into existence, but a diverse activism was observed by the nation in the form of ‘Aurat March during 2018-2020. The current study examines the Western feminism, what it was initiated for and its accomplishments in the current time. By employing a discourse analysis approach to the ‘Aurat March event, this study highlights the women’s activism in Pakistan, ‘Aurat March and the antipathy faced by organizers and supporters from the public because of its strange slogans and ridiculous placards. It also observes the relationship between western feminism and ‘Aurat March activism from the perspective of the social, cultural, and religious transformation of society. The study finds the need to raise a constructive and logical voice for women’s rights with support of the public to eradicate social evils instead of focusing on insignificant matters. It has further recommended that there is a need to build a framework in which one may be able to differentiate women’s rights in the context of western feminism and the limitation of women’s emancipation in Islamic context.

scholarly journals A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Ontario Government's Dissemination Of The FDK Program

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Willetts
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Social Citizenship ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Full Day Kindergarten ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government ◽  
Full Day

This major research paper applies a critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine the Ontario government’s rationalization of full day kindergarten to the public and the underlying discursive representation of social citizenship that the government sets forth. A content analysis of nineteen textual documents identified twelve rationales for FDK. A social investment discourse was identified as the dominant discourse underlying these rationales, while a social justice discourse and a combination of both discourses was also present. A CDA of three textual documents indicated that the Ontario government employed nominalization, modality and interdiscursivity to perpetuate the social investment discursive representation of FDK. The prevalence of social investment discourse in the Ontario government’s rationalization of FDK holds important implications for advancing just and caring early childhood policy for all children and families.

scholarly journals The "Winter of Native Discontent": A critical discourse analysis of Canadian opinion journalism on the Idle No More Movement

COMPASS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-46
Author(s):  
Tiffany Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Social Problem ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Social Fabric ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Popular View ◽  
Opinion Journalism

Aboriginal activism has become increasingly subject to media publicity, reflecting a popular view of Aboriginals not only as a social problem but as creating problems that threaten the social fabric. This paper is based on the findings of a critical discourse analysis of a collection of opinion pieces published in The Globe and Mail and the National Post. The contemporary construction of the “Indian problem” was investigated in the context of the Idle No More movement, viewing these texts as part of larger processes of elaboration, articulation, and application of Western ideas on Aboriginal social policy. One of the fundamental conflicts that can be identified in settler discourse is in regard to history and change and a particular concern with how much of the past should be carried into the future. The discontinuous view of history emphasizes the distance of history, making the past seem foreign to the modern, civilized eye. Injustices are presented as characteristics of history, and the violence of colonial times can be disconnected from the present.

scholarly journals An Analysis of the Media’s Role in the 2008 Economic Recession

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadia Kamran
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Mortgage Market ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social

The purpose of this Major Research Paper (MRP) is to explore the 2008 economic recession and the unprecedented collapse of the American economy triggered by the mortgage market that affected individuals and corporations. One of the objectives of this work is to identify the key actors who prompted the economic crisis and how they influenced the public perception of investing in the housing that led to bankruptcy for millions. Another objective is to identify the media’s role in the recession and some of the key lessons learned in how they could have mitigated the crisis. This MRP will undertake a critical discourse analysis built on the seminal work of theorists (e.g., Van Dijk (1977), and Fairclough (1985) to analyze media communications during the recession. Critical discourse analysis would be used as a theory given it examines the interaction between the abuse of social power, dominance and inequality perpetuated by institutions through text and conversation in the social and political context (Wodok and Myers, 2001).

scholarly journals Translating the Public Imaginary: The Narrative Aesthetics of Public Engagement in Canadian Broadcasting Policy

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Lithgow
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Policy Discourse ◽  
Policy Decisions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Communicative Strategies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Analyse Du Discours ◽  
Broadcasting Policy ◽  
Implicit And Explicit

Background  In public proceedings, professionalized discourses often reflect markedly different communicative strategies than those used by members of the general public.Analysis This article describes the findings of an aesthetic discourse analysis of public submissions to one of the largest public processes ever held by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the Let’s Talk TV review of television regulation in Canada.Conclusions and implications Public submissions demonstrated heartfelt, affective, psychologically complex, and sometimes ambiguous expressions of desire. A routine tactic engaged in public submissions was “narrative aesthetics”—the implicit and explicit use of story structures to shape aspects of discourse legitimacy. The discursive landscape revealed gaps between public sensibilities and those legitimized by policy decisions, suggesting a territory of public experience more complex than the social realities reflected in policy discourse outcomes.RÉSUMÉContexte Souvent dans les rencontres publiques, les discours professionnels reflètent des stratégies communicatives très différentes de celles employées par le grand public.Analyse Cet article décrit les observations émanant d’une analyse du discours esthétique effectuée à partir de soumissions publiques dans le contexte de Parlons télé, un examen de la réglementation télévisuelle au Canada qui a été une des consultations publiques les plus importantes jamais menées par le Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes (CRTC).Conclusions et implications Bon nombre des soumissions publiques ont manifesté des expressions de désir sincères, affectifs, psychologiquement complexes et, parfois, ambigus. Ces soumissions ont communément employé la tactique de « l’esthétique narrative »—l’utilisation implicite et explicite de structures narratives pour accentuer certains aspects de leur légitimité discursive. Globalement, le paysage discursif était révélateur d’un écart entrem les sensibilités du public et celles légitimées dans le cadre des décisions politiques, avec un champ d’expérience de la part du public beaucoup plus complexe que les réalités sociales reflétées dans les diverses recommandations politiques.

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