Discourse Analysis And Its Use In The Study Of International Relations

Discourse Analysis (DA) is a microcosmic critical approach based onSocial Constructionism. Through deconstructing the logic structure and powerorientation behind the discourses that we take for granted, it can unmask theconstructing processes of power relations, ideology and identity.According to the analytical focus, we can discern three differentapproaches. The first one is Struggle Power-orientation Discourse Analysis(SPDA) represented by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, whose theoreticalemphasis is revealing the power relation implicated in discourse struggle. Thesecond one is Social Change Discourse Analysis (SCDA) represented byNorman Fairclough, which is much more interest in the role of discourse duringthe social change. And the third one is Cognition Action-orientation DiscourseAnalysis (CADA) represented by Jonathan Potter and Margaret Wetherell,which emphasizes particularly on people's active and creative use of discourseas a resource for accomplishment social actions.The case studies show that DA, as an alternative analytical approach,preponderant over traditional Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) which based onmaterial-ontological realism when integrating domestic and international factors.