Language and Power in the Discourse of an Islamist Thinker

Table of Contents

EPIGRAPHS

ABSTRACT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

1.2 PROBLEM OF THE STUDY

1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

1.4 OVERVIEW OF THE THESIS

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

0. INTRODUCTION

2.1. WHAT IS CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS?

2.2 WHAT DOES A CDA-ANALYST DO?

2.3 WHAT IS DISCOURSE?

2.4 WHAT IS IDEOLOGY?

2.5. WHAT IS POWER?

2.6 MAJOR APPROACHES TO CDA

2.7 HOW DOES A CDA-ANALYST CONDUCT CRITICAL ANALYSIS?

2.8 MULTIDISCIPLINARITY IN CDA

2.9 DERRIDA’S DECONSTRUCTION

2.10 CDA’S ANALYTIC TOOLS

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN

3.3 DATA AND DATA SOURCES

3.4 RATIONALE

3.5 METHOD OF ANALYSIS

CHAPTER IV: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 RESEARCH FINDINGS

4.2 DISCUSSION

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION

Research Objectives and Thematic Focus

This study aims to investigate the linguistic strategies used in the Egyptian religious TV talk show "al-Bayyena" to explore the relationship between language, ideology, and power. Specifically, it analyzes how the Islamist thinker Mohamed Emara linguistically represents secularists to maintain ideological hegemony and exercise social exclusion, utilizing Fairclough’s model of Critical Discourse Analysis.

• Exploration of the dialectical relationship between language and ideology within Islamist discourse.
• Analysis of rhetorical strategies such as metaphor, nominalization, and passivization to establish power and dominance.
• Investigation of the discursive construction of the "secularist other" through dehumanizing metaphors and "poisoning the well" fallacies.
• Deconstruction of how religious media institutions exert influence over the mental models of their audience.
• Evaluation of the moral authority and intellectual superiority projected by the guest speaker to discredit alternative political standpoints.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION: This chapter establishes the theoretical background, research objectives, and the significance of studying Islamic fundamentalist discourse through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis.

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE: This section provides a comprehensive overview of CDA models by Fairclough, van Dijk, and Wodak, alongside concepts like ideology, power, intertextuality, and Derridean deconstruction.

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: This chapter outlines the qualitative research design, detailing the data source selection from the "al-Bayyena" TV show and the analytical framework based on Faircloughian linguistic tools.

CHAPTER IV: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION: This chapter analyzes 26 excerpts from the show, identifying specific rhetorical strategies like metaphor, polarization, and fallacious argumentation used by Mohamed Emara to marginalize secularists.

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION: The final chapter summarizes the research findings, confirming that language in this context serves as a non-neutral tool for maintaining power and ideological dominance, and provides recommendations for future research.

Keywords

Critical Discourse Analysis, CDA, Language and Power, Ideology, Islamist Discourse, Mohamed Emara, Secularism, Rhetorical Strategies, Metaphor, Polarization, Social Exclusion, Media Discourse, Political Manipulation, Hegemony, Deconstruction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fundamental focus of this thesis?

The thesis investigates how language is used as a tool for power and ideological domination in the discourse of an Egyptian Islamist thinker appearing on a religious TV talk show.

What are the primary themes analyzed in the research?

The core themes include the representation of secularism as an external threat, the use of dehumanizing metaphors (cancer, genealogy), social polarization, and the construction of moral authority by the guest speaker.

What is the main research objective?

The research aims to reveal the discursive strategies—such as lexical choices and logical fallacies—employed to discredit secularists and maintain ideological control over the Muslim audience.

Which methodology is employed in this study?

The study utilizes Norman Fairclough’s model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), complemented by van Dijk’s cognitive approach, Wodak’s historical approach, and Derrida’s deconstruction techniques.

What does the main body of the work cover?

The main body involves an exhaustive linguistic and rhetorical analysis of 26 selected excerpts from the talk show, categorizing how the speaker misrepresents the "other" to enforce an Islamist worldview.

Which keywords characterize this work?

Key terms include Critical Discourse Analysis, Ideology, Islamist Discourse, Rhetorical Strategies, Polarization, Hegemony, and Social Exclusion.

How does Emara use metaphors to marginalize secularists?

Emara uses metaphors such as "cancerous dimensions" and "grandsons of Bonaparte" to depict secularists as physical threats or illegitimate outcasts, making compromise seem impossible.

What is the role of "poisoning the well" in this discourse?

It is a rhetorical tactic where the speaker introduces negative information about an opponent beforehand to ensure that the audience dismisses any future arguments made by that opponent.

Why are pronouns significant in this study?

Pronouns like "we" and "they" are used to establish binary oppositions, creating a social distance between the in-group (Islamists/believers) and the out-group (secularists/outsiders).