Dominant discourse is the language and actions that appear most prominently in a society, reflecting the ideologies of those with the most power. It can become so ingrained that few challenge it, leading to stagnation. Challenges to discourse can lead to conflicts, but it can also provide a sense of normalcy and belonging. Dominant discourse is variable and changes to one discourse may not impact others.
Dominant discourse is a way of speaking or behaving on a given topic: it is the language and actions that appear most predominantly within a given society. These behaviors and patterns of speech and writing reflect the ideologies of those with the most power in society.
Great theorists such as Michel Foucault and Stuart Hall have championed this concept. They argued that relatively few people in a society hold authority. Those with power, directly or indirectly, assert their power over others within society, thus forcing those members of a society to adopt the actions and language of those in power. In this process, prominent behaviors and ideologies eventually become the social norm.
One problem with dominant discourse is that it can become so ingrained within a society that few people challenge the norm. Without these challenges, few new ideas enter the mainstream. Society can therefore stagnate and not progress. Even when people want to challenge the dominant paradigm, they may not do so if they don’t have the power to get their message or behavior far enough out of the public eye. People who want to change society may have to work to build a reputation before large numbers of society follow their lead.
Two examples of major conflicts associated with challenges to discourse are the Civil Rights Movement and the Holocaust. In both of these cases, the dominant paradigm involved discrimination against a particular group of people. Those in power during both of these periods used open propaganda, as well as scare tactics, to assert and maintain dominance across the general population. A more general example of conflict related to the dominant discourse is war of any kind, although conflicts do not always escalate to physical violence.
While the clearest examples probably come from associated conflicts, social norms can be good for a society on some level. An advantage of dominant discourse is that it provides one or more points of commonality among members of a society. This can help members of society develop a sense of normalcy, as they have some predictability in terms of what they should do and say in different situations. It also provides people with a sense of belonging, because they are able to see that others act or speak the same way.
Dominant discourse is variable, meaning that discourse on different topics does not always come from the same individual or group. For example, a church may provide a standard for prayer or preparation for a funeral, while a healthcare organization may provide standards for patient care and interaction. This means that changes to a dominant ideology do not always have a direct impact on other discourses. Indeed, members of society may remain ignorant of some dominant discourses unless they are in some way directly associated with certain groups, for example the general public is unfamiliar with the meaning of many medical and legal terms.
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