David Howarth is Lecturer in Politics at the University of Essex and is currently Director of the Masters Program in Ideology and Discourse Analysis in the Department of Government.

Aletta J. Norval is Senior Lecturer in Political Theory at the University of Sussex and Director of the Doctoral Program in Ideology and Discourse Analysis.

Yannis Stavrakakis teaches on the Ideology and Discourse Analysis Program in the Department of Government at the University of Essex.

Synopsis

How can recent developments in post-structuralist, post-Marxist, and psychoanalytical theory actually inform ongoing empirical research? What are the appropriate methods and research strategies for conducting research in discourse theory and analysis? How can concepts such as hegemony, identity, the imaginary, dislocation, and empty signifiers illuminate key aspects of contemporary society and politics? This pathbreaking and multi-focal book contains a clear introductory statement of the theoretical approach used, and concludes with an assessment of the future directions of discourse theory in the social sciences.