Nowadays we have unprecedented levels of access to information; politics and the media share a closer relationship than ever before, and the more successful politicians acquire the status of quasi-celebrities. Despite this, there is widespread disenchantment with politics, a growing cynicism about the political process, and much concern about the so-called 'democratic deficit'. And yet, how much do we actually know about the real world of politics? Is our eroding trust in politicians based on a lack of understanding about the activities they actually engage in? In an extensive critical ethnography of the European Parliament, typical 'orders and disorders of discourse' are identified that illustrate the discursive mechanisms by which politics are organised in this and other (transnational, national and regional) arenas. The intricate complexity of 'power-knowledge' in the daily quest for hegemony is analysed in detail, carefully documenting politicians' movement across many 'communities of practice', employing a huge range of genres, conversational styles, argumentative moves, and (in)direct pragmatic devices, as part of their 'professional habitus'. Furthermore, the critical discourse analysis is juxtaposed with its fictionalised representation in the American TV soap The West Wing, which constructs an idealised version of this 'backstage', conveying to a global audience a highly simplistic account of what politics entails. This book goes behind the scenes of politics, uncovering the reality of daily 'politics as usual', and contrasting this with the glamorised, often sensationalised world of politics presented to us on television.

【作者简介】

露丝•沃达克（Ruth Wodak），英国兰卡斯特大学杰出教授和话语研究主席，批评话语分析的奠基人之一，“话语-历史”话语分析方法的开创者。2004年前任教于奥地利维也纳大学，2004年起任教于英国兰卡斯特大学。1996年荣获首届维特根斯坦奖（奥地利最高科学奖）；2001年荣获维也纳市科学奖，2003年、2006年荣获维也纳市妇女奖；2010年被瑞典厄勒布鲁大学授予荣誉博士学位，同年当选为欧洲科学院院士；2011年获奥地利公共服务银质荣誉勋章；2013年当选为英国社会科学院院士。

【译者简介】

黄敏，博士后，教授，浙江传媒学院新闻传播研究院常务副院长、新闻传播学学科负责人，浙江省“钱江学者”特聘教授，浙江省151人才工程第一层次人才，浙江省传播学会副会长，国家社科基金同行评议专家。研究方向为大众传播话语分析。在核心期刊发表论文40余篇，出版专著、译著5部。

田海龙，博士，天津外国语大学教授，博士生导师，《天津外国语大学学报》常务副主编。兼任中国社会语言学会会长，中国英汉语比较研究会话语研究专业委员会副会长、秘书长，国际学术期刊Journal of Language and Politics编委，“南开话语研究”丛书总主编，辑刊《话语研究论丛》和《中国社会语言学》主编。研究兴趣：社会语言学、话语研究、翻译研究。