Chapter 8 Ideology in cognition and discourse
-
Teun A. van Dijk
Abstract
In this chapter, I present a summary of a multidisciplinary theory of ideology and how ideologies are socially reproduced through discourse. It is assumed that ideologies, just as knowledge, are forms of social cognition, and shared by the members of social groups. Ideologies control socially shared attitudes about specific social issues and indirectly the mental models of individual group members. These subjective ideological models control specific ideological practices, in general, and ideological discourse, in particular - which in turn may ultimately contribute to the confirmation or the modification of the ideology. My framework is multidisciplinary. It integrates a cognitive psychological, social psychological, sociological and linguistic (discourse analytical) approach to ideologies, their mental organization, their social and political functions, as well as their acquisition and reproduction by public text and talk. Since the sociopolitical conditions and functions of ideologies are best known, this paper will specifically focus on the sociocognitive and discursive aspects of ideologies (there are thousands of books on ideology, so I do not provide references to them; the same is true for the relevant literature on social cognition, social identity theory, and other theories that contribute to a general theory of ideology, for which I refer to my previous publications).
Abstract
In this chapter, I present a summary of a multidisciplinary theory of ideology and how ideologies are socially reproduced through discourse. It is assumed that ideologies, just as knowledge, are forms of social cognition, and shared by the members of social groups. Ideologies control socially shared attitudes about specific social issues and indirectly the mental models of individual group members. These subjective ideological models control specific ideological practices, in general, and ideological discourse, in particular - which in turn may ultimately contribute to the confirmation or the modification of the ideology. My framework is multidisciplinary. It integrates a cognitive psychological, social psychological, sociological and linguistic (discourse analytical) approach to ideologies, their mental organization, their social and political functions, as well as their acquisition and reproduction by public text and talk. Since the sociopolitical conditions and functions of ideologies are best known, this paper will specifically focus on the sociocognitive and discursive aspects of ideologies (there are thousands of books on ideology, so I do not provide references to them; the same is true for the relevant literature on social cognition, social identity theory, and other theories that contribute to a general theory of ideology, for which I refer to my previous publications).
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Chapter 1 Introduction 1
- Chapter 2 Discourse and ideology in French thought until Foucault and Pêcheux 21
- Chapter 3 Teaching French in Acadia: From a discourse of linguistic diversity to a standard ideology 45
- Chapter 4 Ideology and emancipation through the prism of performativity: Immolation and mottos of struggle as moments of popular counter-discourse 67
- Chapter 5 Language trouble.s 87
- Chapter 6 The ideological grounding of the new normal: Anti-discourse meets utopia 103
- Chapter 7 Hiding in plain sight: Methodological ideologies in discourse research in applied linguistics 117
- Chapter 8 Ideology in cognition and discourse 137
- Chapter 9 Licensing through English 157
- Chapter 10 Language ideologies and the translation of scholarly texts 179
- Chapter 11 Negotiating ideologies and the moral order in child protection social work 201
- Chapter 12 Challenging ideologies and fostering intercultural competence: The discourses of healthcare staff about linguistic and cultural barriers, interpreters, and mediators 223
- Chapter 13 Taking a corpus-based approach to investigating discourse and ideology in the language sciences 247
- Chapter 14 Afterword 273
- Index 285
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Chapter 1 Introduction 1
- Chapter 2 Discourse and ideology in French thought until Foucault and Pêcheux 21
- Chapter 3 Teaching French in Acadia: From a discourse of linguistic diversity to a standard ideology 45
- Chapter 4 Ideology and emancipation through the prism of performativity: Immolation and mottos of struggle as moments of popular counter-discourse 67
- Chapter 5 Language trouble.s 87
- Chapter 6 The ideological grounding of the new normal: Anti-discourse meets utopia 103
- Chapter 7 Hiding in plain sight: Methodological ideologies in discourse research in applied linguistics 117
- Chapter 8 Ideology in cognition and discourse 137
- Chapter 9 Licensing through English 157
- Chapter 10 Language ideologies and the translation of scholarly texts 179
- Chapter 11 Negotiating ideologies and the moral order in child protection social work 201
- Chapter 12 Challenging ideologies and fostering intercultural competence: The discourses of healthcare staff about linguistic and cultural barriers, interpreters, and mediators 223
- Chapter 13 Taking a corpus-based approach to investigating discourse and ideology in the language sciences 247
- Chapter 14 Afterword 273
- Index 285
