ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the analysis of discourse by means of a brief overview. It defines the methodology with respect to the processes of publicization, politicization, framing, and venues of the controversies. In Van Dijk introduction to the five-volume work Discourse Studies he explores the emergence of the analyses of discourse in various disciplines such as anthropology, linguistics, philosophy, semiotics, and conversational analysis. The chapter considers the main dimensions of political opportunities, institutional access and discursive context, following the emphasis that the research on social movements places on the political environment. It focuses on the national press for several reasons: newspapers usually present the mainstream discourse and the dominant frames, they are the arenas in which public visibility, resonance, and legitimacy need to be gained. It divides the articles into main topics: LGBT rights, beginning and end of life, education, places of worship, religious dress code, and national identity.
