The Discourse of Politics in Action: Politics as Usual - Hardcover

Wodak, R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0230018815 ISBN 13: 9780230018815

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009

Synopsis

The Discourse of Politics in Action An interdisciplinary study providing first-hand evidence of the everyday lives of politicians; what politicians actually do on 'the backstage' in political organizations. The book offers answers to the widely discussed phenomena of disenchantment with politics and depoliticization. Full description

About this title

Product Description:

This book is an interdisciplinary study providing first-hand evidence of the everyday lives of politicians; what politicians actually do on the backstage in political organizations. The book offers answers to the widely discussed phenomena of disenchantment with politics and depoliticization.

Review:

"In this fascinating ethnographic study, and within an integrated interdisciplinary theoretical framework, Ruth Wodak goes beyond the usual analysis of political discourse. She examines the hectic daily 'backstage' of doing politics ("walk and talk") by european parliamentarians as well as in the fictional world of the TV series The West Wing. A great contribution to both discourse studies and political science."
- Teun van Dijk, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain.
 
"What if politics was a play? With her trademark impressive methodological rigour and immense creativity, Ruth Wodak takes us on a fascinating journey where she decodes the logic of political discourse, action, and representation. The result is a brilliant, rich, and subtle book. From the backstage of the European Parliament to popular political sitcoms, she reveals a face of democratic practice that we cannot afford to ignore."
- Michael Bruter, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.    
 
"Wodak's book will provide researchers, students, and political enthusiasts with a very rich study of frontstage and backstage politics." - Ruth Harman, University of Georgia, USA 
 
'...yet another thought provoking and elegant book by Ruth Wodak...a valuable contribution to the analysis of everyday political routines...' - Qualitative Sociology Review
 
'Ruth Wodak is one of the leading and most productive scholars in the field of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). This
present book addresses the discourse of politics, more specifically the questions 'how politics is done' and 'what politicians
actually do'...These questions are addressed on the basis of rich empirical data gathered in previous years as part of wider projects investigating discursive practices within the European Union institutions, research projects conducted by Ruth Wodak and
her co-workers either at Lancaster University or at Vienna where she worked before moving to the UK. There are extensive
acknowledgements and references to previous projects and related publications. Her main aim of this book is presented as
integrating ''these seemingly fragmented findings from many ethnographic case studies into a theoretical, interdisciplinary
framework which could throw light on the discursive construction and representation of politics in action''...' - Journal of Pragmatics
 
'Wodak's book is well-worth reading and thinking about.' - Jonathon Roberge, The Centre for Cultural Sociology

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0230018815
• ISBN 13: 9780230018815
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 268