ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces discourse analysis (DA) as a family of approaches for studying language in use and its role in constructing social reality. It begins by defining discourse and outlining several traditions of DA, including Foucauldian DA (emphasizing power/knowledge and historical discursive formations), critical DA (CDA, focusing on ideology and power in texts), and interactional or sociolinguistic DA (examining conversation and language in context). The methodological steps common to DA are described: defining a research focus, gathering a corpus of relevant texts or transcripts, analyzing language features (vocabulary, grammar, metaphors, etc.), and interpreting how these features produce meaning and effects. The chapter provides examples of DAs in various fields – from media discourse on social issues to organizational documents – illustrating how DA reveals hidden assumptions, power relations, and the construction of identities through language. It also discusses the importance of reflexivity and validation in DA. The chapter concludes with why DA matters: it enables researchers to critically examine how realities are discursively shaped, which has implications for social change and organizational practice.
