Critical Discourse Analysis, Discourse‐Historical Approach
The discourse‐historical approach ( DHA ) belongs in the broadly defined field of critical discourse studies ( CDS ). Many theoretical and also methodological concepts used in DHA are equally valid for other strands in critical discourse studies—even if their contexts of emergence have led to different toolkits. Still, these approaches draw on each other, thereby reproducing a common conceptual frame while they develop their own distinct orientations. The DHA is distinctive both at the level of research interest and methodical orientation (an interest in identity construction and in unjustified discrimination; a focus on the historical dimensions of discourse formation) and with respect to its epistemological foundation—that is, with respect to its being oriented toward the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, and in particular toward Habermas's language philosophy.