The Discourse of Politics in Action

discourse_politics

Title: The Discourse of Politics in Action. Politics as Usual
Author: Ruth Wodak
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2011 (paperback)

In The Discourse of Politics in Action. Politics as Usual, Wodak conducts an elaborate and enlightening investigation whose starting point echoes Michel Foucault’s statement: “People know what they do; they frequently know why they do what they do; but what they don’t know is what what [sic] they do does” (in Wodak 2009). In this light, the main directions pursued in the book are, on the one hand, exploring and explaining “what they [the politicians] do”, and, on the other, articulating “what [their action] does” for/to everyone else, or what consequences politicians’ decisions may have upon various developments and communications in our society. More

Reviewer: Izabela Lazar

European Parliaments under Scrutiny

european_parliaments

Title: European Parliaments under Scrutiny
Editor: Cornelia Ilie
Series: Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture
Publisher: John Benjamins
Year: 2010

European Parliaments under Scrutiny is a collection of 11 studies examining an array of systematic investigations of distinctive interactional aspects of political activity in the parliamentary institution. These studies rely on diverse discursive scenarios when evaluating politicians’ interactions and when appraising the outcomes emerging from these interactions. With expert editorial insight, Ilie has structured the volume in four principal sections, preceded by a comprehensive Introduction. More

Reviewer: Izabela Lazar