Discourse and ‘discourse analysis I’ according to Rose (2001)
According to Rose (2001) “Discourse […] refers to groups of statements which structure the way a thing is thought, and the way we act on the basis of that thinking.” (p.136) He refers to it as “a particular form of language with its own rules and conventions and the institutions within which the discourse is produced and circulated” (p.136) Rose claims,
Discourses are articulated through all sorts visual and verbal images and texts, specialized or not, and also through the practices that those languages permit. (2001, p.136)
So in short: like in other assignments sofar the use of the word “text” in relation to this is not only referring to literary texts but to objects, signs, visual aspects, cultural activities etc., which embody discourse. This entails intertextuality as well, discourse is not collecting meaning from a, so-called, “text” but collective meanings based on multiple “texts”. Rose also says that discourse produces subjects. Presumably he is referring to how the application or dispersal of discourses shapes norms of behaviour in ca ertain situation, like how to order a coffee at Starbucks (which will be elaborated on later).
Discourse Analysis
Rose discerns two types of Discourse analysis. This blog post will deal with Discourse Analysis I (not II) as it is closely linked to the material related to branding, and as it contains more visual aspects. According to Rose,
This form of discourse analysis tends to pay rather more attention to the notion of discourse as articulated through various kinds of visual images and verbal texts than it does to the practices entailed by specific discourses. […] It is most concerned with discourse, discursive formations and their productivity. (2001, p.140)
Rose goes on to show that discourse analysis is about framing or viewing discourses in practice to find out their meanings and how these originated or are related to intertextuality. He wants to find out how thsese “texts” carry meaning. He says,
First, there is the analysis of the structure of the discursive statements. Second, there is a concern for the social context of those statements: who is saying them, in what circumstances. (2001, p.149)
For Rose it is not only about what is said, but how, why and by whom. The importance of context comes into play here. A concept described by one person may have a different discursive value from a person of another culture or background. Like symbols in semiotics, texts of discourse too, are culture-based. He goes further to investigate how a discourse is structured (what elements or texts it is composed of), and to see how it creates knowledge or common practice. (2001, p.150) He does this by looking at key themes and discerning who said/structured what.
(Fig.8 Starbucks’s logo)
How does this concept and method relate to Elliott’s analysis of Starbucks
Elliott (2001) regards Starbucks’s image and branding with a critical look at its authenticity, its meaning, the origin of its values or values appears to have. Elliott finds it ironic how Starbucks aims to be involved with sustainability and organic coffees, and feign a relation to third world coffee farmers whilst at the same time remaining as Western as possible. He remarks how their Chinese venues used imported coffee whilst the region itself has its own large coffee plantations. He disapproves of their pretence of sharing in local identity whilst monopolising local customers. He notes that the emphasis is very much on Starbucks as author rather than the actual origins of the coffee. He shows that they use origins of coffee beans as a means of making exotic claims whilst at the same time trying to keep up an appearance of an All-American brand by not disclosing the origins of the beans in their “house-blend”. He shows that although they have imported many European customs into their coffees (e.g. espresso-based style coffee), they still try to maintain an American Identity.
His analysis is similar to that of Discourse Analysis in that he decodes the texts, e.g. menus, cup-sizes, names of drinks, decoration of interiors to showcase their formation of brand identification. Yet his method differs from discourse analysis in that he does not try to determine where the meaning comes from or what it is linked to. He does reference how Italian names of cups come from Italy for example but I think he could further link it to American culture of cupsizes or drinking habits (multiple sizes of large but expressed in Italian names). Perhaps this discourse analysis contains less intertextuality than expected, yet it does showcase the use of the method and how it can be used to decode Starbucks’s hidden ideology and use of brands and naming. In relation to Starbucks’s identity formation whilst maintaining a global presence, Elliott draws upon Harvey who says:
globalism can be a powerful unifying discourse, sensitizing people to “what the world’s spaces contain” (Harvey, 1992, p. 294 as cited in Elliott, 2001, p.379).
(Fig.8, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13 Starbucks)
Bibliography:
Rose, G. (2001). Visual methodologies: An introduction to researching with visual materials. London: Sage. (Chapter 6: Discourse Analysis I)
Case Study and Methodological Application
Elliott, C. (2001). “Consuming caffeine: The discourse of Starbucks and coffee” In: Consumption, Markets and Culture, 4(4), pp. 369-382.
Image sources:
Figure 8.Starbucks’s logo [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/35/Starbucks_Coffee_Logo.svg/1024px-Starbucks_Coffee_Logo.svg.png
Figure 9.Starbucks [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://www.cityofdreamsmacau.com/uploads/images/COD/Dining/starbuck/Starbucks_image3_cr.jpg
Figure 10.Starbucks [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from https://img.clipartfest.com/4e6fd8e168ad4cd83bb14b151629c494_the-first-step-toward-success-is-taken-when-you-refuse-to-be-a-starbucks-clipart-tumblr_500-315.jpeg
Figure 11.Starbucks [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://www.aacorporation.com/uploads/Projects/Restaurant/StarbucksHB/AA_Company_No1_Furniture_Supply_Interior_Fit_Out_StarbucksHangBai4.jpg
Figure 12.Starbucks [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from https://st2.depositphotos.com/1001279/9882/i/950/depositphotos_98829884-stock-photo-starbucks-cafe-interior.jpg
Figure 13.Starbucks [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://farm1.static.flickr.com/71/201985751_f360a42859_o.jpg
