Discursive history
Discursive history, or the discourse-historical approach, is an interdisciplinary method used in history and social sciences to analyze how language and its historical context shape our understanding of events and identities. It goes beyond surface-level meaning to uncover the social, political, and ideological factors embedded in historical texts and narratives, revealing how language is used to construct social realities, power dynamics, and collective memories.
Key Aspects of Discursive History
- Interdisciplinary Approach: It combines insights from linguistics, sociology, and history to create a comprehensive picture of discourse within its context.
- Focus on Context: The approach examines the social, historical, and political environment in which discourse occurs, understanding that language is not used in a vacuum.
- Analysis of Power and Ideology: Discursive history investigates how language can sustain or challenge social hierarchies and power relations, and how ideologies are embedded and perpetuated through communication.
- Construction of Identity and Memory: It explores how discourses contribute to the formation and maintenance of national and individual identities, and how societies remember and commemorate the past through narrative.
- Critique of Traditional Methods: This approach challenges the objectivist fallacy of traditional historical methods, decentering the historian’s authority and questioning the claim of historical writings as purely objective accounts.
- Systematic Analysis: The Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA) provides a structured framework with multiple steps to systematically uncover how discourse shapes and is shaped by societal forces.
How it Works
Instead of just looking at “what” is said, discursive history asks “who” is speaking, “when” they are speaking, and “why” they are using specific language. It analyzes historical documents, speeches, and other forms of communication to understand the underlying assumptions, biases, and power dynamics that influence how history is written and consumed.
Examples in Practice
- Analyzing how discourses of nationhood are constructed and maintained over time.
- Examining the historical narratives and memories of communities to understand their collective identities.
- Uncovering the hidden assumptions and biases within historical accounts to reveal how they were produced from specific socio-economic, political, and cultural locations.
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[6] https://sk.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/research/chpt/historical-discourse-analysis
[8] https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/mass-media-society/discourse-analysis