Discourse & Ideology: How Language Shapes Power (Critical Discourse Analysis)
Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) explores how language reflects and reinforces power, ideology, and inequality. It is based on the idea that language is never neutral, every word, metaphor, and narrative carries meanings shaped by social structures.
Through CDA, researchers examine political speeches, news headlines, textbooks, advertisements, and social media posts to uncover hidden biases. For instance, when news reports refer to protestors as “mobs” or “rioters,” they shape public perception through negative framing. Similarly, gendered language, such as “career woman,” “male nurse,” or “victim blaming” discourse, reveals underlying cultural ideologies.
CDA also exposes how elites control narratives. Authoritarian regimes may use euphemistic language like “national harmony” to suppress dissent or label critics as “foreign agents” to delegitimize them. Even in democratic societies, media framing can subtly influence how audiences think about immigrants, minorities, or political opponents.
CDA empowers readers to become critical thinkers, recognizing that language can both maintain and challenge power.
