Arguing about Muslims: (Un)Reasonable argumentation in letters to the editor
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Albert Atkin
His research interests include pragmatism, context sensitivity, and pragma-dialectical theories of argumentation and fallacies.
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John E Richardson
His research interests include racism in journalism, readers' letters, (critical) discourse analysis, and argumentation. His recent publications include the book
(Mis)Representing Islam (2004, John Benjamins), the co-authored bookKey Concepts in Journalism (2005, Sage) and articles on argumentation and prejudice in readers' letters.
Abstract
This article analyses letters to the editor written on or about Muslims printed in a British broadsheet newspaper. The pragma-dialectical theory of argumentation is applied as a model for explaining and understanding the arguments employed in the sampled letters. Our presentation of pragma-dialectical theory focuses on argumentative reasonableness. More specifically, we introduce the four dialectical stages through which any argument must pass and explain the ten rules of critical discussion that participants must follow throughout if they are to resolve the argument. The article focuses in particular on the letter writers' use of argument schemes—that is, the manner in which these writers use arguments to support their standpoints. We conclude by highlighting the role that unreasonable arguments can play in perpetuating racialized inequalities and hence the importance of analyzing argumentation.
About the authors
His research interests include pragmatism, context sensitivity, and pragma-dialectical theories of argumentation and fallacies.
His research interests include racism in journalism, readers' letters, (critical) discourse analysis, and argumentation. His recent publications include the book (Mis)Representing Islam (2004, John Benjamins), the co-authored book Key Concepts in Journalism (2005, Sage) and articles on argumentation and prejudice in readers' letters.
© Walter de Gruyter
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- Arguing about Muslims: (Un)Reasonable argumentation in letters to the editor
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Artikel in diesem Heft
- Arguing about Muslims: (Un)Reasonable argumentation in letters to the editor
- Political scientists on the functions of personal pronouns in their writing: An interview-based study of ‘I’ and ‘we’
- Metaphors of identity in dating ads and newspaper articles
- Enabling talk: How the facilitator shapes a focus group
- Complex advice acceptance as a resource for managing asymmetries
