Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Assistant Professor of Public Law at Shiraz University
2 PhD Candidate of Political Science at Shahid Beheshti University
Abstract
Extended Abstract:
Introduction
The field of political interaction, domestic or international, is fundamentally driven by human agency, with language serving as the primary tool for interaction. While various social science theories, including those in political science and international relations, can illuminate the context surrounding the formation of these linguistic interactions, social and political analysis cannot be confined solely to this peripheral, structural level. Political analysts continually encounter texts, statements, and speeches, necessitating a methodological framework for analyzing these linguistic interactions to achieve a clear understanding. The critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach offers a well-equipped methodological toolbox. Familiarity with CDA can aid in comprehending linguistic interactions within the political arena. Additionally, CDA possesses a highly systematic understanding of the discourse arena, introducing discourses as creators of worlds with specific rules of engagement and power dynamics. Each discourse constructs a world with its own set of rules and interactions. Human and institutional agents are represented within this world, each occupying a specific position and wielding a certain degree of power. The specific type of power relationship between agents is established based on the way the world is represented in each discourse. By dissecting discourses based on these functions, social science researchers can gain a clearer understanding of the language games and the meanings associated with each signifier or word within these games.
Materials & Methods
This article employs a critical discourse analysis (CDA) framework to investigate the interplay of language and power within the realm of political interaction. CDA, with its focus on the social and political functions of language, provides a robust set of tools for examining how discourse constructs meaning, shapes identities, and distributes power. 1 Specifically, this analysis will draw upon key tenets of CDA, such as: (1) examining the use of language, including metaphors, framing, and narrative techniques; (2) identifying key concepts, arguments, and underlying assumptions within political texts; and (3) analyzing how power relations are constructed and maintained through language. By applying these tools, this study aims to uncover the underlying power dynamics and ideological assumptions embedded within political discourse
The conclusion of the Cold War era has arguably transformed the underlying principles of international relations and the criteria guiding foreign policy decision-making. During the Cold War, state interactions were inevitably overshadowed by the confrontation between the two ideological blocs of the West and the East. Consequently, the entire world was divided into two, or at most three, blocs (considering the Non-Aligned Movement). Foreign policy decision-making prioritized security and power considerations, further influenced by the ideological identity a state adopted within the competitive bipolar Cold War environment. Broadly speaking, theories focused on the structural level, most notably neo-realism or structural realism, aligned with the objective and ontological reality of the international system. As Kenneth Waltz argued, state behavior in the practical arena was also determined by the influence of macro-level or international system variables.
Waltz, who employs a structural approach that relies solely on macro-level or international system-level variables in theorizing international relations, considers any international analysis that attempts to explain phenomena using micro or domestic-level factors to be reductionist. However, Waltz himself, widely regarded as the most legitimate theorist of international politics, acknowledges the value of domestic-level variables in explaining and analyzing foreign policy (but not international policy).
The end of the Cold War ushered in a more flexible and pluralistic era. No longer was there a single, global, security-oriented agenda that compelled each state actor to choose sides and align with one of three potential alliances. Political leaders, at both the regional subsystem and international system levels, enjoyed greater freedom to make decisions based on economic interests, as well as identity and civilizational elements. It is no coincidence that Huntington's thesis of the clash of civilizations emerged in response to Fukuyama's thesis of the end of history, both arising in the post-Cold War period. While Fukuyama emphasized the dominance of a single ideology (liberalism) across the globe, Huntington contends that the defining characteristic for identifying nation-states, as well as the source of hostility and competition in this era, has shifted from ideology to civilization.
Discussion & Result
This article will identify dominant discourses, recurring themes, and the strategic use of language to construct particular meanings and representations. By analyzing the discursive strategies employed, such as framing, metaphor, and the use of pronouns, the study will explore how these linguistic choices contribute to the construction of social identities, the positioning of actors, and the legitimization of particular power relations. Furthermore, the analysis will consider the historical and social context in which these discourses emerged and evolved, examining how they reflect and shape broader political and social realities.
Another noteworthy aspect of the current era, often viewed as the neoliberal era from an international political economy perspective, is the increased prominence of the regional arena and economic issues, supplanting the focus on the macro-structural international arena and security-related issues traditionally associated with realpolitik. The challenge lies in the fact that the way each region is represented, including its spatial and geographical understanding, and the discursive representation of elements like development and underdevelopment, have become more numerous and diverse than before. In other words, the current era places greater emphasis on the linguistic representations employed by political leaders to portray themselves and the regional subsystem encompassing their state.
Within this post-Cold War environment, language itself has emerged as a tool for creating and wielding power, given its role in shaping and expressing knowledge and truth. This is particularly true in diverse and pluralistic political environments and cultures. Understanding the various arrangements governing political cultures within states and at the regional subsystem level necessitates the use of methods like discourse analysis. The importance of grounded and discourse-based language methods in political studies and research, particularly in fields like postcolonial studies exemplified by Edward Said's work on Orientalism, has become increasingly evident and established.
Conclusion
Beyond these considerations, as will be explored in the following article, the method of critical discourse analysis (CDA) offers unique characteristics and functions. CDA equips researchers with the ability to systematically analyze the various functions of discourse and extended texts in terms of representation, the distribution of subject positions, and the establishment of power relations between these positions. As the influence of structural variables wanes, the significance of agency and internal elements comes to the fore. This new objective reality necessitates the diversification.
Keywords
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