Cultural approach to CDA

This article describes a cultural approach to critical discourse analysis (CCDA) which aims at exposing the various ways in which cultural codes are embedded in discourse, and contribute to the reproduction of abuses of power. The article attempts to represent CCDA not only as a theoretical framework, but also as a practical tool for decoding the cultural ‘cargo’ contained within discourses. The article focusses on five major concepts: culture, discursive strategies, cultural codes, the global market of cultural codes and the culture of peace. It presents general principles for CCDA and specific principles of analysis that can be applied for verbal and non-verbal practices alike, and also for factual and fictional discourses.