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Key research themes
1. How does civility shape the quality and outcomes of political discourse in democratic societies?
This theme investigates the role of civility—understood both as politeness and as public-mindedness—in facilitating or hindering effective political discourse. It examines how civil and uncivil disagreement affect emotions, participation, and democratic deliberation, alongside the normative expectations and tensions around civility in political contexts, including power dynamics and inclusion.
Key finding: This experimental study (N=272) found that both civil and uncivil disagreement in online news comments induce negative emotions and aggressive intentions, but only uncivil disagreement leads to uncivil retaliatory responses... Read more
Key finding: This paper disaggregates the concept of civility into politeness and public-mindedness, with further dimensions differentiating moral and justificatory civility, clarifying normative claims about civility's roles. It argues... Read more
Key finding: Highlighting civility as a civic virtue with moral and political tension, this work reveals that promoting civility can have asymmetrical effects—benefiting some groups more than others and potentially suppressing... Read more
Key finding: This multidisciplinary volume reviews the decline of political civility in U.S. public life, highlighting causes such as technological change, growing polarization, and increasing incivility in both elite and citizen... Read more
Key finding: This article critically examines the expectation of civility in academic discourse, revealing how calls for 'civil' behavior often function as racialized strategies that protect whiteness and silence marginalized voices,... Read more
2. How do communicative practices and discourse structures facilitate or hinder political dialogue and deliberation in contexts of polarization?
This theme focuses on the dynamics of political dialogue and deliberation amid polarization, including how discursive strategies, dialogic ethics, and norms influence openness or closure in political exchanges. It explores the conditions allowing sustained dialogue, challenges posed by social fragmentation, and how discourse analyses illuminate the coherence and dysfunctionality of political interactions.
Key finding: Through Action Implicative Discourse Analysis of public dialogue sessions, this study identified discursive strategies—such as questioning, rearticulating claims, reframing, and controlled silence—that participants use to... Read more
Key finding: Analyzing a campus public dialogue, the study identified three interaction patterns—conceptual expansion, deliberation of meaning, and dialogic moments—and two communicative practices—discursive vulnerability and critical... Read more
Key finding: This work problematizes when discourse qualifies as coherent interactive communication versus disjointed utterances. Using examples from political discourse, the author reveals frequent deficiencies in interactivity and... Read more
Key finding: Applying critical discourse analysis to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) 2013 election manifesto, this study reveals linguistic strategies used to influence public opinion and exercise socio-political dominance. It uncovers... Read more
Key finding: This paper argues much political 'disagreement' is illusory, often reflecting expressive responding or partisan hostility rather than genuine divergent policy beliefs. It shows that partisan antipathy can exist independently... Read more
3. What are the theoretical and methodological frameworks to analyze political and public discourse, including argumentation and the role of speech acts?
This theme centers on the conceptual and analytical tools for studying political and public discourse, focusing on argumentation theory, speech act theory, and discourse analysis methodologies. It covers the normative ideals of public argumentation, the structure and interactional nature of arguing as a speech act, and reflexive critiques on discourse analysis methods applied to education, politics, and social power relations.
Key finding: This paper surveys normative ideals governing public argumentation, namely correctness (truth, validity, moral optimality) and participation (inclusion, diversity, equality), highlighting their general coherence and potential... Read more
Key finding: Extending Searle's speech act theory, this article proposes a two-level analysis of arguing: first, the illocutionary act by the speaker securing uptake (making the argument graspable), and second, an interactive level where... Read more
Key finding: Through auto-analytical reflection on research projects, this paper critiques the assumption of discourse analysis as a methodological monolith, emphasizing its diverse ontological and epistemological foundations. It... Read more
Key finding: This paper traces the intertwined nature of language and politics, reviewing historical and contemporary perspectives including rhetorical traditions and post-structuralist critiques. It highlights the linguistic turn in... Read more
Key finding: The article critically reassesses Habermas’ practical discourse theory to explore extending its framework to justify animal rights. It revises the principle of universalization to include animal interests mediated by human... Read more