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Discoursehistorical

Discourse-historical approach, often abbreviated as DHA, is a methodological framework within critical discourse analysis that foregrounds historical context and intertextual connections in the study of public and political discourse. It was developed in the 1990s and early 2000s by Ruth Wodak and colleagues, notably Michael Reisigl, to analyze how discourses shape and reflect social power relations over time.

DHA combines close textual analysis with a historical perspective. It emphasizes intertextuality and interdiscursivity—the ways texts

Methodologically, DHA typically proceeds in stages: selecting an object of study and relevant time frame; collecting

Applications of DHA span areas such as immigration and minority discourse, nationalism and policy debates, media

See also Critical Discourse Analysis, Ruth Wodak, Reisigl, topoi, intertextuality.

cite,
reinterpret,
or
align
with
other
discourses
and
genres.
Central
to
DHA
are
the
identification
of
discursive
strategies
(including
nomination
of
actors,
predication
of
attributes,
and
argumentation
through
topoi
or
commonplaces),
and
the
use
of
rhetorical
devices
such
as
intensification
and
metaphor
to
influence
interpretation.
The
approach
also
treats
discourse
as
embedded
in
historical
processes,
requiring
researchers
to
situate
texts
within
the
broader
political,
social,
and
cultural
developments
that
produced
and
were
produced
by
them.
a
corpus
of
texts
from
multiple
genres
and
periods;
conducting
qualitative
analyses
of
linguistic
choices,
intertextual
references,
and
argumentative
patterns;
and
corroborating
findings
with
historical
and
social
context
to
explain
continuities
and
shifts
in
meaning.
representation
of
politics,
and
public
polarization.
It
is
widely
used
in
European
languages
and
international
studies
to
reveal
how
historical
knowledge
and
rhetorical
strategies
shape
contemporary
public
opinion.