Media language representations of xenophobic attitudes in university settings : a critical discourse analysis of Western Cape campus newspapers

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:This study focuses on aspects of linguistic communication, specifically in campus mediadiscourse, where portrayals of minority groups, such as African foreigners, affect theattitudes of readers and shape public ideology regarding these minority groups. The researchexamines published items in two Western Cape campus newspapers that topicalise Africa orAfrican foreigners in South Africa. These items, which were published over a three yearperiod from 2007 to 2009, are critically analysed, in order to evaluate the way in whichAfrica and Africans, specifically Africans in South Africa, are represented, to determinewhether such representations make use of xenophobic language, and to gauge the potentialeffects on the attitudes of student readers with regards to foreign Africans living and studyingin South Africa.The aim of this thesis is to examine the possible (re)enforcement of xenophobic attitudes inthe campus news media by analysing how Africa/foreign Africans are portrayed in SouthAfrica's campus press against the background of the current xenophobic situation in SouthAfrica. This is accomplished by making use of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA),specifically the theoretical frameworks of van Dijk (1991) and Fairclough (1995; 1998),which allow for critical analysis on multiple levels of discourse. While the results of themedia analysis illustrate a difference in coverage between the two campus newspapers, theoverall impression is that campus press does indeed influence the attitudes of readers, moreoften than not, to the detriment of oppressed minority groups. Coverage of Africa/Africans inSouth Africa in the two campus publications indicated a slight growth in empathy towards theplight of Africa/African foreigners over the three year study period.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University