Propaganda theory and analysis

This chapter theorizes propaganda and propaganda analysis as a core element and a methodological tool in political discourse studies. It approaches propaganda in terms of its three inherent qualities. First, propaganda is considered intertextual since it develops if a meaning is repeated and reaffirmed across texts and situations. Thus, discourse becomes propagandistic when multiple parties recontextualize it faithfully and continually. Second, it is essentially manipulative, preventing audiences from thoughtfully processing their circumstances and alternatives. Third, it is regarded as antidemocratic, limiting the choices available to citizens and encouraging harm for disempowered groups. After defining propaganda in these terms, the chapter offers two ways of studying it intertextually: an analysis of propagandistic agreement in media debate and an analysis of the diachronic process by which propaganda evolves over time. The chapter concludes by outlining theoretical and methodological challenges in further research. Most crucially, since propaganda has an antidemocratic function, and there is no consensus on what democracy is or should be, and, thus, no consensus on what constitutes antidemocratic rhetoric, researchers must continue to theorize democracy and its antithesis, explaining when and how discourse contributes to equitable power dynamics and when it does the opposite.