Ideology in the Focus of Critical Discourse Analysis N. Fairclough

Abstract

Paper describes two basic principles of sociological analysis of ideology in the early XXI century: the principle of double contextualization of M. Burawoy and the principle of the duality of structures and subjects of P. Sztompka. This allowed to clarify the focus of the author's research on the intersection of the plurality of ideologies and multiparadigm of modern sociology. Authors have distinguished a sociological understanding of the transformations of the social role of ideology in the development of societies during the XIX – early XXI century and its three main phases. Taking into account the multiparadigm of ideology, the possibilities of its conceptualization in a number of major sociological metaparadigms and their axiomatic nuclei are analyzed. Paper emphasizes on diversifying the debate on the macro-micro dichotomy in the study of ideology by increasing the invariance in the interpretation of both members of this dichotomy and recognizing the complex nature of structures and subjects that have object-subject characteristics. There is a lack of sociological explication and conceptualization of such a vision of ideology and corresponding methods of empirical research. Therefore, the narrowing of sociological optics to the study of ideology within the socio-constructive direction of sociological theorizing in its critical version is argued. As the importance of studying the practical aspects of ideology and the role of its subjects in social transformations is emphasized today, the position of N. Fairclough was chosen as the main methodological source within the cluster of critical discourse analysis. Paper describes heuristic possibilities and limits of using the theoretical provisions of critical discourse-analysis of N. Fairclough for cognition of ideology. The main characteristics of ideological discourse are argued, as well as the main provisions of critical discourse-analysis are applied to the study of ideology with special attention to its subjects. As a result of the application of these research procedures, an approach to the conceptual scheme of ideology research is developed, which takes into account its object-subject characteristics and allows studying the role of agents and recipients in the construction and consumption of ideology, аs well as in the transformation of social practices and socio-cultural transformations.