From growth obsession to ecological promotion

The discursive construction of party image in Chinese political discourse on ecological civilization

Bibliographic Data

ID21788366
AuthorsXiao Wang (0000-0001-8231-6778, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, corresponding author), Xiufeng Zhao (0000-0002-9737-6842, China University of Petroleum, Beijing)
Year2023
Volume17
Issue6
Pages741-763
Publication date2023-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDiscourse & Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1750-4813 • E-ISSN: 1750-4821
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/17504813231181080
OpenAlexW4381510595
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited44

The traditional definition of party image as being distinct, fixed, and receiver-determined, has been replaced by the understanding that party image is invested with more dynamic and complex features and is dialectically constructed by discourse to influence public perceptions. By adopting Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive model of critical discourse analysis, this study explores party images and how they are discursively constructed in CPC’s political discourse on ecological civilization. The discourse analysis reveals that five images have prominently been constructed: the goal-setter of future blueprints, lesson-taker of past development pattern, the coordinator of ecology and economy, the determined fighter against environmental disruption, and the systematic governor of ecological path. They are constructed through varying linguistic devices such as recontextualization, high-frequency repetition, and conceptual metaphors. The images and their construction are born out of the social cognition, the outcome of political system, changes of historical conditions, economic status, and cultural model, among which the emerging Chinese ideology of ‘moderate green’, and the consistent ideologies man is an integral part of nature (天人合一, tian ren he yi), Doctrine of the Mean (中庸之道, zhongyong zhidao), people-centeredness, and collectivism play a dominant role. This study helps find the fluidity of party images

Collectivism · Critical discourse analysis · Discourse analysis · Environmentalism · Ideology · Linguistics · Normative · Political science · Politics · Sociology · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Chinese history and philosophy · Law · Philosophy · Social Media and Politics · Ecology

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