Critical Discourse Analysis of Power and Resistance in Social Movements

This article investigates the role of discourse in shaping power relations and resistance in social movements, using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as the primary analytical framework. Social movements, as collective endeavors aimed at social change, engage in complex negotiations of power through language. CDA provides the tools to understand how discourse reflects and reproduces power structures, as well as how it becomes a means of resistance. The paper explores the ways in which social movements employ language to challenge hegemonic systems, create alternative narratives, and mobilize collective identities. Through framing, metaphor, and strategic narrative-building, movements such as civil rights, feminist, and environmental movements use discourse to contest oppressive ideologies. In doing so, they construct the boundaries between "us" and "them" and promote resistance against the dominant social, political, and economic structures. This study also addresses how language is employed in the construction of collective identities, the formulation of resistance strategies, and the creation of counter-narratives. Finally, the article examines case studies like the Civil Rights Movement and the Arab Spring, where discourse played a central role in both resistance and mobilization. By critically analyzing the discourse of social movements, this article illustrates how language functions as a tool for both domination and liberation, ultimately contributing to the transformation of societal power dynamics.