The final paper will primarily engage with ‘feminist critical discourse analysis’ (Lazar 2010:141-142) that derives from Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), an interdisciplinary approach influenced by Norman Fairclough, Teun A. van Dijk and other contributors (Wodak & Meyer 2009:3). Lazar engages directly with feminist discourse analysis to highlight the complex relationship between power and ideology. This will be explored when analysing the heteronormative social order versus the representations of hijra identities and way of life through various forms of discourses (i.e. writing, visual media and activism). By employing an intersectional approach, I discuss the diverse gender categories of trans-identified people in India in connection to sexuality, class, (sexual) citizenship and social/political status. This approach reflects CDA’s purpose “to investigate critically social inequality as it is expressed, signalled, constituted, legitimized…by language use (or in discourse)” (Wodak & Meyer 2009:2). In relation to CDA’s concept of ‘semiosis’ and its relationship with ‘social practices’ (Wodak & Meyer 2009:122), I will highlight hijra experiences which are translated into discourses expressing causal oppression and efforts of resistance. A critical discourse feminist analysis will allow me to integrate feminist principles (and vital insights from LGBT studies/queer theory) when theorizing and analysing trans people’s issues/oppression, primarily based on functions of gender and sexuality in relation to power and ideology.
Critical Discourse Studies (CDS) engages with a sociocognitive approach, which is defined by Dijk as a “study of cognition in the critical analysis of discourse, communication and interaction (Wodak & Meyer 200...
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...ral Histories of LGBT Persons. Dir. Rangayan, Sridhar. Prod. Anand Vivek. 2011.
Reddy, Gayatri. With Respect to Sex: Negotiating Hijra Identity in South India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005. Print.
Revathi, A., and Va Kita. The Truth about Me: A Hijra Life Story. Ed. V. Geetha. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2010. Print.
“Sexual Rights and Social Movements in India.” Creating Resources For Empowerment in Action (CREA), 2006. Print.
Shabnam Mousi. Dir. Bhardwaj, Yogesh. Prod. Frameline (Firm), Yogesh Bhardwaj, and Ashutosh Rana. Frameline Distribution, c2005.
Stryker, Susan & Stephen Whittle. The Transgender Studies Reader. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.
Singh, Dayanita, and Mona Ahmed. Myself Mona Ahmed. Zurich; New York: Scalo, 2001. Print.
Wodak, Ruth and Meyer Michael, eds. Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis, 2nd ed. London: SAGE, 2009. Print.
Palmer, William. "Rhetorical Analysis." Discovering Arguments: An Introduction to Critical Thinking, Writing, and Style. Boston: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2012. 268-69. Print.
Green, Keith, and Jill Lebihan. Critical Theory & Practice: A Coursebook. New York: Routledge, 1996.
Longaker, Mark Garrett, and Jeffrey Walker. Rhetorical Analysis: A Brief Guide for Writers. Glenview: Longman, 2011. Print.
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2007. Print.
Swales, Gee and Porter all give their understanding of how they believe a discourse community operates and contributes to society. It can be seen as a type of language used to connect between particular groups and integrate social identities into the world (Gee 484). The building of a discourse community starts with creating a type of communication plan. It is necessary that all members connect and confer alike in order to maintain a set of documented decisions and actions. A discourse community connects people to a lifestyle and provides a form of order that stretches the interconnections of words, writings, values, attitudes, and beliefs (Swales 220). Those interconnecting contacts though sometimes conflict with select purposes of other discourses, leading to confusion or even anarchy. When this occurs, awareness and a choice of acceptance or doubt sets into place (Porter 400). For a discourse community to continue all doubt and awareness have to be tracked and suppressed. The discourse community needs to insure that its values are well convinced and received by its members and potential new members, in order to remain accepted in a
... middle of paper ... ... Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987).
For my last article I chose to look at an article that just focused on explaining what critical analysis discourse is. I liked it because it provided me with a bit of information regarding where it began, who adopted it, how it has grown, and the goals of this type of analysis. By reading this article I learned a lot more about what to look for in other articles in order to get out what I want from them. Since the power of linguistics is a huge focus of this method, I need to make sure I am critical as the analysis describes on what I am looking for in my research. I also make sure I have direction, which I feel like a do. With the previously articles that I does to analyze seem to fulfill these goals.
To examine various discourses, it is crucial that the idea of discourse and the way in which discourses operate is clear. A discourse is a language, or more precisely, a way of representation and expression. These "ways of talking, thinking, or representing a particular subject or topic produce meaningful knowledge about the subject" (Hall 205). Therefore, the importance of discourses lies in this "meaningful knowledge," which reflects a group’s ideolo...
You belong to a discourse community! Whether you know it or not almost everyone belongs to some type of discourse community, but how does it affect you as an individual? From the studies of multiple authors, it has been established what defines a discourse community, what effects intertextuality have on a discourse community and even the overall dynamics, but even with all this research there is still something missing. Elizabeth Wardle, John Swales, and James Porter all make very good discussion points and arguments in their research, but none of these writers stop to examine the effects that these communities could possibly have on the individuals that make the community what it is. Just as it’s the simple stone block that when combined become
Nanda, Serena. Neither Man nor Woman: The Hijras of India. 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub., 1990. Print.
Owing to India’s diversity, these identities are determined by caste, ancestry, socioeconomic class, religion, sexual orientation and geographic location, and play an important role in determining the social position of an individual (Anne, Callahan & Kang, 2011). Within this diversity, certain identities are privileged over others, due to social hierarchies and inequalities, whose roots are more than a thousand years old. These inequalities have marginalized groups and communities which is evident from their meagre participation in politics, access to health and education services and
In a book called Culture and Human Sexuality: A Reader, written by David Suggs and Andrew Miracle. The book had a detailed and informative chapter solely about the hijras of India. The hijra’s are neither male nor female, but contain elements of both. They are believed to have sacred powers that have come from their...
This method is defined as an approach characterized by the interaction between cognition, discourse and society. What seems to be the main difference between Fairclough’s and van Dijk’s approach is the second dimension, which mediates between the other two. Whereas van Dijk perceives social cognition and mental models as mediating between discourse and the social, Fairclough believes that this task is assumed by discourse practices (text production and consumption). Cognition, the key element in van Dijk’s approach, is achieved in collective mental models as a result of consensus and becomes the interface between societal and discourse structures (van Dijk, 2009). There seems to be a dialectical relationship between societal structures and discursive interaction. Discourse is the medium by which societal structures are “enacted, instituted, legitimated, confirmed or challenged by text and talk” (Fairclough & Wodak, 1997, p. 266). Van Dijk considers that CDA requires a model of context based on Moscovici’s (2000) social representation theory: social actors involved in discourse do not exclusively make use of their individual experiences, but rely upon collective frames of perception known as social representations, a bulk of the concepts, values, norms, associations, explanations and images shared in
Parker, Robert Dale. Critical Theory: A Reader for Literary and Cultural Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012 . Print.
In North America, LGBT rights are often discussed through institutions, social media, and organizations supporting such cases. However, one can notice that leaving this North American mindset results are dramatically different in attitudes towards LBGT issues. This literature review will be centering on LGBT rights in India, and will focus upon the Supreme Court decision that upheld Section 377 of the Indian Constitution and repealed the Delhi High Court’s ruling. This research paper will additionally investigate the exact timeline of each decision by highlighting the history of Section 377 of the Penal Code of India, the ruling of the Delhi High Court in 2009 and finally what the Supreme Court’s ruling was in December of 2013. Moreover, it will focus and discuss the discourse behind why the Supreme Court reinstated criminalizing gay sex in the country. Lastly, this research paper will offer a critical perspective by addressing a possible solution in order to gain awareness and take a stand against the Supreme Court for reinstating criminalization of gay sex in the country.