DIPE

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DIPE – Discourse, Ideology and the Political Economy

Within the multitude of approaches in the field of discourse studies, the question of how ideology, power and authority operate in and through discourse(s) takes a special place. Whether it is the study of how power is (re)produced in micro-practices and interactions, the analysis of inequality and dominance in macro-structures, or the investigation of the functioning of ideology in texts, spoken communication, gestures or pictures - these topics have been an integral part of many research traditions on the intersection of language and society.

In our view, the analysis of ideology as a particular discursive practice cannot be detached from a long tradition in Marxist and critical theory. For Marxism, ideology is a feature of social formations that is inextricably linked with social processes, such as the reproduction of the capitalist mode of production, the logics of political engagement as well as dissent and revolutionary upheaval. Thus, ideology as discursive practice has been studied as a means of reproduction as well as social and economic transformation alike.

While ideology is not be perceived as merely ,false consciousness' which stands juxtaposed to ,right consciousness' and obscures individuals' ideas about their true conditions of existence, it remains a crucial concept in the analysis of structural subjectification processes, powerful knowledge formations, and the constitution of authority and oppression in and through discourses.     

The DiscourseNet Group "Discourse, Ideology and the Political Economy" will deepen, extend and prolong the ongoing debate in the field of discourse studies on ideology, power and political-economic issues in order to contribute to a strand of research that sees itself as part of a decidedly Marxist and critical theoretical tradition which is still of theoretical, methodological and political importance today.