The history of ideology and its definition continues to occupy scholars across a range of disciplines. Contrary to the vast volume of earlier work on ideology however, this books provides a challenging new theory of ideology, one that is capable of explaining not only the internal structures of ideologies, but also how ideologies function in society. In formulating theory that is capable of providing the first insights into the internal structures of ideologies while simultaneously explaining how discourse structures may be (...) used in the production and reproduction of ideologies, van Dijk offers a highly important theoretical bridge between the micro and macro structures of society. This book will be essential for all students of discourse studies, communication, social psychology, sociology, and political science. (shrink)

This study uses appraisal theory to investigate the media attitudinal variations in the context of the recent 2013 air pollution incident in China. Drawing upon the appraisal systems of attitude and engagement, this article examines how the reportage has changed over time in terms of the type and source of attitude. Through a comparative analysis of the news reports and editorials in the latest and back issues of the official English-language newspaper China Daily, this article identifies two major attitudinal shifts: (...) 1) from an absence of inscribed attitude representing air quality as something natural to negative judgement of social sanction judging foreign embassies’ monitoring; 2) from judgement to three interwoven strands of appreciation, with the air quality, Western experience and prospective opportunities evaluated by both Chinese and international communities. When reporting and commenting on environmental issues of global concern, the national media voice may seek to achieve attitudinal consensus with the international community while adhering to the official discourse. (shrink)