Chapter published in:
Political Discourse in Central, Eastern and Balkan Europe
Edited by Martina Berrocal and Aleksandra Salamurović
[Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture 84] 2019
► pp. 69–92

Chapter 4. Gay rights as a symbol of ideological struggles between Russia and the West

A socio-cognitive discourse analysis

This chapter will investigate how two news articles, from the British Guardian and from Russia Today, report on the issue of gay rights in Russia, as mentioned in a press conference given by Russian president Putin in the run-up to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The analysis will employ a socio-cognitive approach to critical discourse studies. Similarities and differences in social actor representation and cohesion in the two texts will be explained as illustration that both Putin and the writers of the articles seek to engage in strategic ideological communication to effect social categorisation, construct in-groups and out-groups, and design their texts for particular audiences. The findings will be discussed against a background of increasing geopolitical and ideological tensions between Russia and some Western countries.

Keywords: social cognition, social categorisation, critical discourse studies, cohesion, media discourse, ideology, gay rights, social actor representation, Russia
Published online: 23 July 2019
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.84.04kol
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