Constructing Enemies: ‘Islamic Terrorism’ in Political and Academic Discourse

2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 394-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Analytic Approach ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Counter Terrorism ◽  
Academic Texts ◽  
Islamic Terrorism ◽  
Terrorism Discourse ◽  
Academic Discourses

AbstractThe term ‘Islamic terrorism’ has become a ubiquitous feature of Western political and academic counter-terrorism discourse in recent years. Examining over 300 political and academic texts and employing a discourse analytic approach, this article attempts to describe and dissect the central terms, assumptions, labels, narratives and genealogical roots of the language and knowledge of ‘Islamic terrorism’ and to reflect on its practical and normative consequences. It concludes that for the most part, political and academic discourses of ‘Islamic terrorism’ are unhelpful, not least because they are highly politicized, intellectually contestable, damaging to community relations and practically counter-productive.

scholarly journals THE NARRATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF ISLAMIC TERRORISM DISCOURSES

Al-Albab ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ridwan Rosdiawan
Keyword(s):  
Global Politics ◽  
Islamic Terrorism ◽  
Real Entity ◽  
Terrorism Discourse ◽  
Global Arena ◽  
Academic Discourses ◽  
Elusive Concept

While polemics is still shadowing the internationally accepted definition, the word “Terrorism” becomes more controversial when it is paralleled with “Islam”. The Islamic Terrorism discourse is more likely to be an elusive concept if not a Fata Morgana. Its very existence appears as a real entity but its form can hardly be described. It would be always be problematic to posterize such a terrible notion as “terrorism” and put it side by side with a noble concept as in “Islam”. The fact, however, shows that the two-word has been widely discussed in global arena. “Islamic Terrorism” has become a trending topic in global politics and academic discourses in the first decade of the millennium.

scholarly journals Object Clauses in Academic Discourse: Genre Preferences

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 278-286
Author(s):  
Tatiana Ivanovna Steksova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Semantic Type ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Subordinate Clauses ◽  
Academic Texts ◽  
Genre Preferences ◽  
Article Abstract

The author of the article understands object clauses as a semantic type of sentences with a set of different ways of expressing semantics: polypredicative subordinate clauses, asyndetic clauses, monopredicative clauses, clauses with parenthesis. It is suggested that the set of constructions used in academic discourse depends on the genre of the academic text. The genres of article abstracts and thesis summaries as secondary texts (texts about texts) were chosen as a material for a comparative study. The author reveals the incomplete paradigm of object clauses in secondary academic texts. The analyzed language material allows us to state that the genre of the academic article abstract does not use the entire paradigm of the ways of expressing explanatory semantics, choosing only two models as the basic ones, with a higher frequency of the monopredicative model. In the genre of thesis summaries there is a lower frequency of monopredicative clauses with deliberative semantics and a higher frequency of polypredicative subordinate clauses containing hidden reflection of the author of the text. The analyzed material indicates that the hidden author’s reflection is more often manifested through the use of quasi-impersonal sentences. The author of the article believes that there is a tendency in the analyzed genres towards increasing impersonality, the elimination of the subjective author’s position, and the desire to objectify the presented information. The research has found out certain constructions which function actively in the genre of the academic article, but are not used in article abstracts and thesis summaries. It is noted that not all introducing predicates recorded in the academic literature function in the analyzed genres. This can be explained by the genre affiliation of the texts and their communicative task. The author determines a number of objectives of the further research.

scholarly journals A cross cultural analysis of conjuncts as indicators of the interaction and negotiation of meaning in research articles

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Povolná
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Cultural Analysis ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Cultural Variation ◽  
Negotiation Of Meaning ◽  
Academic Texts ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Academic Communication

Abstract The role of English as a global lingua franca of academia has become indisputable in the on-going process of internationalization of all scholarship, even though the majority of writers and readers of academic texts are non-native speakers of English. Thus it is questionable whether there is any justification for imposing on international academic communication written in English the style conventions typical of the dominant Anglophone discourse community. Recommendations usually comprise qualities such as clarity, economy, linearity and precision in communication (cf. Bennett, 2015), which can be achieved, among other means, by certain overt guiding signals including conjuncts (Quirk et al., 1985). Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to reveal cross-cultural variation in the use of these important text-organizing means as it is believed that conjuncts can enhance the interaction and negotiation of meaning between the author and prospective readers of academic texts. The paper explores which semantic relations holding between parts of a text tend to be expressed overtly by conjuncts and which semantic classes, such as appositive, contrastive/concessive, listing and resultive conjuncts, contribute most to the interactive and dialogic nature of written academic discourse. The data are taken from research articles (RAs) selected from two journals, one representing academic discourse written by native speakers of English (Applied Linguistics) and the other representing academic texts written in English by Czech and Slovak scholars (Discourse and Interaction).

LEXICAL BUNDLES INDICATING AUTHORIAL PRESENCE: A CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF NOVICE CZECH AND GERMAN WRITERS’ ACADEMIC DISCOURSE

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Dontcheva-Navratilova
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Cultural Analysis ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Variation ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Lexical Bundles ◽  
Academic Texts ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Novice Writers

With the widespread use of English as the lingua franca of academia, there is a growing need of research into how non-native speakers striving to be socialized in target academic discourse communities deal with variation in meaning and organization of academic texts across fi elds, languages and cultures. An important indicator of competent linguistic production is the mastering of the register- and genre-specifi c formulaic expressions termed lexical bundles, which are defi ned as sequences of three or more words with frequent co-occurrence in a particular context (Biber et al. 1999). While recent studies have addressed disciplinary and novice-expert differences in the use of lexical bundles, cross-cultural variation in bundle use remains underexplored. This paper investigates lexical bundles indicating authorial presence in a specialized corpus of Master’s degree theses from the fi elds of linguistics and methodology written by German and Czech university students. The aim of the study is to compare how novice Czech and German authors use lexical bundles indicating authorial presence, to consider whether and to what extent the novice writers have adapted their writing style to the conventions of Anglo- American academic writing, and to discuss the role of the L1 academic literacy tradition and instructions received in writing courses for the modelling of novice writers’ academic discourse. The analysis shows that the variety and frequency of interpersonal bundles in Czech and German novice writers’ discourse do not approximate to the standard of published academic texts in English. The fi ndings also indicate that while the considerable similarities in the way Czech and German novice writers use the target structures for constructing authorial presence refl ect their common roots in the Central European tradition of academic discourse, the divergences may be attributed to a difference in the degree of adaptation to Anglo-American writing conventions.

scholarly journals Challenging Anti-gypsyism in Academia

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-28
Author(s):  
Anna Mirga-Kruszelnicka
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Social Phenomenon ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
Normative Framework ◽  
Dynamic Development ◽  
Internal Homogeneity ◽  
Academic Discourses

As a social phenomenon and an ideology, anti-gypsyism is sustained on essentialized narratives, which reify ethnic borders (between those considered as Roma and non-Roma) and assumes internal homogeneity of all members of the Romani group based on vaguely-defined and generalized notions of “culture” or “ethnicity”. These narratives tend to exclude plural and diverse representation of social realities and intersecting Romani identities, which can challenge the dominant and stigmatizing discourse. In this paper, I analyse how academic discourse contributes to sustaining essentialist representations of Roma and assess how more nuanced, plural, and context-sensitive interpretations of ethnic identity can contribute to challenging anti-gypsyism. By reviewing the scholarship of Brubaker (2002, 2004), Hall (1996) and Vertovec (2007), I discuss the potential of definitions in deconstructing homogenized and essentialized discourses on Roma in knowledge production and beyond. Furthermore, I discuss how the emergence and dynamic development of Romani scholarship has been gradually challenging the legacy of Romani Studies and providing an entry into new avenues of research, conducted primarily from the standpoint of Romani scholars. I argue that their engagement in knowledgeproduction is essential for promoting diversified, balanced and context-sensitive discourses. In this article, rather than prescribing a specific, normative framework for Romani Studies and elaborating a fixed research agenda, I point to possible directions and promising theoretical avenues which may provide a refreshing counter-balance to an otherwise homogenizing scholarship. In doing so, I assess possible implications for adapting diverse notions of ethnicity as a tool for de-essentializing academic discourses on Roma – including advantages and existing risks. Such an approach enables the mapping out of issues and challenges relevant for the process of elaborating a Critical Romani Studies research agenda.

scholarly journals Islamic terrorism in Indonesia: Addressing Government Strategies and Muslim Population

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatan Kustana
Keyword(s):  
National Security ◽  
White Paper ◽  
Security Threat ◽  
National Agency ◽  
New Members ◽  
Muslim Population ◽  
Educational Levels ◽  
Counter Terrorism ◽  
The World ◽  
Islamic Terrorism

<p><em>This paper shows how Terrorism has been emerging in the world, the potency to be spread out in the South-East Asian nations, and how Indonesia could face internal challenges to do counter-terrorism of the false Jihad, with multitrack diplomacy, primarily with Police and National Agency for Combating Terrorism counter-terrorism programs. In the perspective of defense strategy, the issue of terrorism brings several implications (Indonesian White Paper 2008, p. 9). The condition of Indonesian community with low educational levels and low economic income becomes target for terrorist actors to expand the network by developing and recruiting new members. The threat of Islamic terrorism is categorized as a national security threat. The Indonesian Government through its security apparatus still have to work hard to hunt down other terrorists, to undertake preventive efforts to prevent Islamic fundamentalist beliefs not to develop and increased education level and the understanding of Islam more comprehensively.</em></p>

scholarly journals Hybridity and Linguistic Pluralism: A Pragmatic Analysis of University Academic Discourse

2018 ◽  
Vol III (III) ◽  
pp. 447-465
Author(s):  
Nazakat ◽  
Muhammad Safeer Awan
Keyword(s):  
Academic Language ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Academic Texts ◽  
Pragmatic Analysis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge ◽  
Determining Factor

The language used in academic texts and pedagogy is referred as academic discourse. Being student and teacher, the researchers observed that mixing of home language with academic language was a common practice in many institutions. Some linguists appreciate it, while others resist it by claiming it detrimental to objectivity and neutrality. Chiang (2006) finds role of teacher’s discourse a determining factor in pedagogy. Current study was conducted to observe the phenomenon of hybridization in academic discourse and to assess it in the light of pragmatics. Pragmatic analysis is known as a useful method to infer covert and implicit meanings of language (Savignon, 2007) and the researchers deemed it appropriate for current research. The pragmatic analysis could provide a newer outlook on academic discourse. Data was collected through observation sheet from the classes. Questionnaire was also used to get relevant data from teachers. The findings revealed that teachers often relied on cultural and ideological underpinnings in their pedagogy. The individual conversational styles were also responsible for different mode of hybridization and subsequently reinforced diverse facet of discourse different in pragmatic nature. The data was first analyzed for hybridization followed by its pragmatic analysis. The study was important in the backdrop of one of many beliefs, that meaning never remains fixed and it resides in socio-cultural structures and lack of pragmatic knowledge among interlocutors impedes semantic proficiency. The study revealed utility of pragmatic competence in turning this mixing of discourses in a class into a continuum. It also found that knowledge of academic pragmatics could reinforce semantic proficiency.

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