In Discourse Studies, discourse is usually understood as the use of texts
in various sorts of contexts (situational, historical, structural,
institutional). From these practices of meaning production, different aspects
of the social such as identities, believes, attitudes, institutions, social
structures and new text production emerge. Despite this broad notion of
discourse, the notion of ideology is often understood as sets of collective
beliefs or mental representations. In contrast to such approaches, which see
ideology as immaterial beliefs, in the last decade we observe a return of
ideology critique in social and political philosophy, sociology and cultural
studies. These interventions are considering specifically the material and
practical dimensions of ideologies.
Ideologies are seen therefore less as set of beliefs and representations
but as practices related to an unsustainable social order and dominating power
relations. Even if critical theory and discourse analysis have pointed to the
crucial role of ideological aspects, both tendencies need deeper exchange and
discussions on the role of ideology, discourse and materiality.
Our understanding of ideology tries to bring together the analysis of
society, understood as exploitive social order, with the analysis of practices
that systematically reproduce this social order. Ideologies emerge from special
contextualities as long as they relate texts to particular contexts, namely
inequalities, exclusions and power structures. They contribute the reproduction
of social order and ideological relations are at work in social struggles of
change over hegemonic constellations as well.
In this special issue we want to bring together critical discourse
studies and critical theory in order to focus on the ideological dimensions of
power, domination, inequality and injustices that are related to discourse
production. In particular, the contributions of this special issue reflect on
the material conditions of discourse productions. The authors will elaborate
how language is related to the formation of hierarchies in discourses on
gender, race and social class. We will furthermore elaborate how subject
positions and subjectivities are formed by discourses in an unequal
socio-material space, and we will reflect on the ideological role in these
processes. A third group of contributions will discuss the relationship between
ideology and critique.
The research papers may include the following topics:
- Update the notion of ideology and ideology critique bringing together social and political philosophy with discourse studies.
- Articulate critical procedures to understand the complexity of ideology.
- Discussion of the cultural nature and cultural diversity of ideology.
- Focus specifically on the material conditions and practical effects of ideology.
- Analyze the specific roles and functions of the ideological in different discourse setting
The editors are founding members of the international and interdisciplinary
research group Discourse, Ideology and Political Economy (DIPE). Together they
edited a special issue of Critical Discourse Studies on Marx and Discourse
Studies and organized several winter schools and other academic events.
Important dates
Call for paper ending on: 20/11/2019
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