The discourse-historical approach

Book chapter-
EL Naggar, S (2015) Multimodality in Perspective: Creating a Synergy of the Discourse Historical Approach and the Framework of Visual Grammar. In Janina Wildfeur (ed.) Building Bridges for Multimodal Research: International Perspectives on Theories and Practices of Multimodal Analysis. Oxford; New York: Peter Lang Edition, pp. 149- 166.

The changing face of religious discourse: A Multi-modal analysis of televangelists' performance


Televangelism or the use of satellite television/YouTube to preach religion has become one important media phenomenon, inter alia, among Muslim communities in minority contexts such as the United Kingdom and the United States of America (e.g. see Echchaibi, 2011). In a similar way to public figures, televangelists have become media celebrities with hundreds of thousands of fans and followers on YouTube and social media networks. The celebrity status that some televangelists have acquired raises the important question as to what self-presentation strategies televangelists draw upon (e.g. see Goffman 1959), i.e. what identities they present for themselves and what multi-modal features they use to appeal to their audiences.

The aim of this study is to examine the performance of three American Muslim televangelists who have achieved popularity in the West: Yusuf Estes (born 1944), Hamza Yusuf (born 1958) and Baba Ali (born 1975).  The study explores the performance of these televangelists on YouTube, being one important medium for the dissemination of televangelists' programmes.   

Thematically, the study is divided into two main sections. First, I present an explanatory framework for the rise of the phenomenon of televangelism, relating it to the broader dynamics of media power, the rise of e-religion and the emergence of transnational Islam. Then, I move on to examine the performance of the three case studies being examined. 

Using an innovative synergy of visual grammar (Kress and Van Leeuwen, 1996)  and the Discourse Historical Approach (e.g. Wodak, 2001), I explore three main aspects that are central to televangelists' performance: a) the use of discursive strategies (e.g. recurrent topics in televangelists' sermons); b) drama-related features (e.g. dress code) and c) cinema techniques (e.g. close up shots and graphic effects). The data comprises excerpts of televangelists' YouTube sermons, songs integrated in their programmes and users' comments on YouTube.

Using a range of examples, I highlight the changing face of religious discourse. I argue that in a similar way to political entertainment (e.g. Wodak 2009), religion has gone down the route of entertainment.

One contribution of the study is that it turns attention to religious discourse, which has been little examined from a critical  (multi-modal) perspective (e.g. Chilton 2004: xi). Moreover, the study contributes to the growing interdisciplinary research on new media and religion (e.g. Campbell 2010); it provides some insights, from a multi-modal perspective, as to what happens when religion meets new media.

List of references


Campbell, H. A.  (2010) When Religion Meets New Media. London: Routledge

Chilton, P.  (2004) The role of religion In  Analysing Political Discourse: Theory and Practice.  London: Routledge. pp. 173-193.


Echchaibi, N. (2011) 詮rom audio tapes to video blogs: the de-localization of authority in Islam Nations and Nationalism 17, 1, 25-44.

Goffman, E. (1959) The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. United States of America: Penguin Books. 

Kress, G. and T. van Leeuwen (1996) Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. Routledge.

Wodak, R. (2001) 禅he Discourse-Historical Approach In Wodak, R. and M. Meyer (Eds.)
Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis. London: SAGE, pp 63-94.

Wodak, R. (2009) The Discourse of Politics in Action: Politics as Usual. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

The changing face of religious discourse: A Multi-modal analysis of televangelists' performance


Televangelism or the use of satellite television/YouTube to preach religion has become one important media phenomenon, inter alia, among Muslim communities in minority contexts such as the United Kingdom and the United States of America (e.g. see Echchaibi, 2011). In a similar way to public figures, televangelists have become media celebrities with hundreds of thousands of fans and followers on YouTube and social media networks. The celebrity status that some televangelists have acquired raises the important question as to what self-presentation strategies televangelists draw upon (e.g. see Goffman 1959), i.e. what identities they present for themselves and what multi-modal features they use to appeal to their audiences.

The aim of this study is to examine the performance of three American Muslim televangelists who have achieved popularity in the West: Yusuf Estes (born 1944), Hamza Yusuf (born 1958) and Baba Ali (born 1975).  The study explores the performance of these televangelists on YouTube, being one important medium for the dissemination of televangelists' programmes.   

Thematically, the study is divided into two main sections. First, I present an explanatory framework for the rise of the phenomenon of televangelism, relating it to the broader dynamics of media power, the rise of e-religion and the emergence of transnational Islam. Then, I move on to examine the performance of the three case studies being examined. 

Using an innovative synergy of visual grammar (Kress and Van Leeuwen, 1996)  and the Discourse Historical Approach (e.g. Wodak, 2001), I explore three main aspects that are central to televangelists' performance: a) the use of discursive strategies (e.g. recurrent topics in televangelists' sermons); b) drama-related features (e.g. dress code) and c) cinema techniques (e.g. close up shots and graphic effects). The data comprises excerpts of televangelists' YouTube sermons, songs integrated in their programmes and users' comments on YouTube.

Using a range of examples, I highlight the changing face of religious discourse. I argue that in a similar way to political entertainment (e.g. Wodak 2009), religion has gone down the route of entertainment.

One contribution of the study is that it turns attention to religious discourse, which has been little examined from a critical  (multi-modal) perspective (e.g. Chilton 2004: xi). Moreover, the study contributes to the growing interdisciplinary research on new media and religion (e.g. Campbell 2010); it provides some insights, from a multi-modal perspective, as to what happens when religion meets new media.

List of references


Campbell, H. A.  (2010) When Religion Meets New Media. London: Routledge

Chilton, P.  (2004) The role of religion In  Analysing Political Discourse: Theory and Practice.  London: Routledge. pp. 173-193.


Echchaibi, N. (2011) 詮rom audio tapes to video blogs: the de-localization of authority in Islam Nations and Nationalism 17, 1, 25-44.

Goffman, E. (1959) The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. United States of America: Penguin Books. 

Kress, G. and T. van Leeuwen (1996) Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. Routledge.

Wodak, R. (2001) 禅he Discourse-Historical Approach In Wodak, R. and M. Meyer (Eds.)
Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis. London: SAGE, pp 63-94.

Wodak, R. (2009) The Discourse of Politics in Action: Politics as Usual. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Citation:
El Naggar, Shaimaa (2021): ‘Don’t touch your face, avoid it friends’. The representation of coronavirus in YouTube songs – the case study of ‘le cumbia del coronavirus’ , DiscourseNet Collaborative Working Paper Series, no. 2/14, Special Issue: Discourse Studies Essays on the Corona Crisis, https://discourseanalysis.net/dncwps.

The article discusses work ethos in American ceremonial discourse addressed to the young entering adult life. Its aim is to investigate whether the Protestant work ethic still pervades the American thinking about work. Through a qualitative analysis of the corpus of 100 randomly selected commencement addresses delivered during 2016 and 2017 graduation ceremonies in American universities, it is shown how work-related topics are employed by the speakers celebrating the graduates’ academic achievements and providing them with advice for the future. The Discourse-Historical Approach, committed to Critical Discourse Analysis, has been chosen as a methodological approach, integrating the interpretation of discourses and texts with sociological and historical research, studies on narration, stylistics, rhetoric and argumentation theory. As the discourse to be analyzed is culture-specific, I have decided to combine the Discourse-Historical Approach with Cultural Studies.

The article discusses work ethos in American ceremonial discourse addressed to the young entering adult life. Its aim is to investigate whether the Protestant work ethic still pervades the American thinking about work. Through a qualitative analysis of the corpus of 100 randomly selected commencement addresses delivered during 2016 and 2017 graduation ceremonies in American universities, it is shown how work-related topics are employed by the speakers celebrating the graduates’ academic achievements and providing them with advice for the future. The Discourse-Historical Approach, committed to Critical Discourse Analysis, has been chosen as a methodological approach, integrating the interpretation of discourses and texts with sociological and historical research, studies on narration, stylistics, rhetoric and argumentation theory. As the discourse to be analyzed is culture-specific, I have decided to combine the Discourse-Historical Approach with Cultural Studies.