Cultural discourse studies

Abstract

As the world’s old problems such as poverty, climate change and nuclear threats are going from bad to worse, the international community has not chosen solidarity or cooperation. Mainstream communication studies (CS) does not seem to be quite concerned or equipped to confront human existential crises, either. The present chapter presents cultural discourse studies (CDS) and argues that it may serve as antidote in CS. Proceeding from a locally-grounded and globally-minded, culturally conscious and critical—culturalist—perspective, alternative to the mainstream and beyond its parochialism, CDS recognises human communication as a global system of diverse and competing cultural discourses and consequently is committed to broadening and enriching the CS field on the one hand and facilitating and enhancing cultural harmony, development and prosperity on the other hand. To illustrate the use of this metatheoretical programme, the chapter offers a study of the national defence discourses of both the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America.

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