A New Agenda in (Critical) Discourse Analysis: Theory, Methodology and Interdisciplinarity

As part of the Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture series, this volume mainly introduces the interdisciplinary and multi-methodological character of (critical) discourse analysis (CDA). Some of the contributions were further developed through discussion at the workshop on ‘New Agenda in CDA’ that was convened in 2003 at the University of Vienna. The intention of the editors was to celebrate the existence of CDA and its about thirty years’ development, and the complete of a six-year project research chaired by Ruth Wodak. Their aim, according to the editors, was to bring together scholars who share an interest in the social sciences in the expectation that they will trigger more debates that would specifically develop and enhance the field of CDA. As such a first step this publication is valuable indeed. I find the collection and the range of its concerns particular useful to an insider to the discipline of linguistics. I note however that for scholars with specialist knowledge and those who are quite familiar with the work of some contributors the detailed description of each approach could prove rather informative and heuristic. The strength of the collection lies in its range. While the seventeen contributors are concerned broadly with the social sciences and the disciplines accessible and conductible to CDA, their analytical frameworks range widely. The collection is divided into three domains. The first area is composed of five chapters devoted to explicating theoretical and methodological issues, and possible limitations of CDA, the second domain consists of five chapters that present studies exploring the European Convention, the construction of European identities and therapeutic discourse, and the third section includes three chapters that delve into the integration of specific notions and approaches of discourse analysis into sociology and anthropology. My review follows this organizational structure. As previously noted, the first part of the book illuminates some of the theoretical and methodological issues developing and enhancing CDA. There are five chapters each contributed by internationally recognized and respected experts in their areas of concentration and in the broader context of CDA. Theo van Leeuwen in the first chapter outlines three models of interdisciplinarity, i.e., ‘centralist’, ‘pluralist’ and ‘integrationist’. The idea of ‘discipline’ is in effect narrowed down to ‘skill’ in the integrationist model (p.8). According to van Leeuwen, the main feature that distinguishes the integrationist model from the others is its interdependent disciplines. Moreover, disciplines in the pluralist and integrationist models are equally valued--that is, one discipline is not seen as subsidiary to another---but it is not the case for the centralist model. In the pluralist and integrationist models issues and problems are central, while methods