Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Multimodal Discourse on BRICS Produced by Diverse Stakeholders: Identifying Attitudes, Cultures and Perspectives

Special Issue

Abstract

The paper explores the conceptual vision of BRICS in the contemporary world. The study focuses on language and images that are used within BRICS-related institutional communication. We argue that the research is important because of the increasing impact of BRICS on the development of the multilateral and multipolar world. The research aims to offer preliminary considerations with regard to key topics, features and tools of multimodal discourse that comes from the BRICS nations and representatives of other international/regional organisations. This area has not been subject to academic analysis so far. This confirms the novelty of the present study.

The research material includes 600 image-text correlated items from BRICS official sources of information and from organisation and institutions, which are not affiliated with the BRICS and refer to national or international actors. The research combined theoretical analysis of literature, empirical investigation of materials within qualitative paradigm, through content-based analysis and manual coding on thematic and pragmatic criteria.

The findings reveal different approaches to BRICS that are introduced by different actors through specific coordination of verbal and visual tools, in explicit and implicit ways. The findings show that BRICS sources contain   proportioned use of texts and photos of high-ranking official events, socio-cultural features of BRICS countries, and pictures of youth with regard to BRICS mission, values, goals, and policies. This strengthens the concept of equality and human rights provision in the modern world in general and leads to the understanding of the need to include the issues of youth rights and their equality on the BRICS agenda in an explicit way.

Keywords

BRICS, multimodal discourse, language, visualization

pdf

References

  1. Abdenur, A.E. (2017). Can the BRICS cooperate in international security? International Organisations Research Journal, 12(3), 73-93. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17323/1996-7845-2017-03-73
  2. Atherton, M. (2012). Should you stick with the BRICs? Retrieved on 8 September 2019 from, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/should-you-stick-with-the-brics-537cqk072hb
  3. BBC (n.d.). Retrieved on 10 September 2019 from, https://www.bbc.com
  4. Belenkova, N.M., Kruse, I.I., Davtyan, V.V., & Wydra, D. (2018). Language for students without interest in languages: Challenges of foreign language grammar. ХLinguae, 11 (1), 284-293. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18355/XL.2018.11.01.23
  5. Bharthur, S. (2018). New world information and communication order and BRICS: legacies and relevance. Global Media and China, 3(2), 113-116. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2059436418785029
  6. BRICS back 'open world economy' that benefits all nations (2018). Retrieved on 10 September 2019 from, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44973352
  7. BRICS official site (n.d.). Retrieved on 15 September 2019 from, http://infobrics.org/news/summits/?page=4
  8. Brics Post (n.d.). Retrieved on 15 September 2019 from, https://www.thebricspost.com
  9. CNN (n.d.). Retrieved on 15 September 2019 from, https://edition.cnn.com
  10. Cvetkovic, I., & Pantic, M. (2018). Multimodal Discursivity: Framing European Union Borders in Live-Blogs. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 42(4), 318-339. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0196859918786273
  11. De Chesnay, M., & Anderson, B. (2019). Caring for the vulnerable. Burlington, Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  12. Discourse markers (n.d.). Retrieved on 8 September 2019 from, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/discourse-markers-so-right-okay
  13. Duggan, N. (2018). 8 The BRICS and nontraditional security. In BRICS and Global Governance (pp. 150-167). Abingdon: Routledge.
  14. Dwyer, T., & Arifon, O. (2019). Recognition and transformation: Beyond media discourses on the BRICS. Global Media and Communication, 15(1), 27-47. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1742766518818858
  15. Euroactive platform (n.d.). Retrieved on 8 September 2019 from, https://euractiv.com
  16. Euronews (n.d.). Retrieved on 8 September 2019 from, https://www.euronews.com/tag/brics-summit
  17. European Cluster Collaboration Platform (n.d.). Retrieved on 8 September 2019 from, https://www.clustercollaboration.eu/tags/brics
  18. Faust, M., Schneider, F., Herdin, T., Ji, D., Negro, G., Zhou, T., ... & de Oliveira Nascimento, A. K. (2018). BRICS as formation to study visual online communication?: A dialogue on historical origins, perspectives on theory and future directions. China Media Research, 14(2), 85-86.
  19. Finardi, U., & Buratti, A. (2016). Scientific collaboration framework of BRICS countries: an analysis of international co-authorship. Scientometrics, 109(1), 433-446. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-1927-0
  20. Firmansyah, M. B. (2018). Multimodal conception in learning. ISLLAC: Journal of Intensive Studies on Language, Literature, Art, and Culture, 2(1), 40-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17977/um006v2i12018p040
  21. Four things to watch at the BRICS summit (2017). Retrieved on 8 September 2019 from, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-41144276
  22. Furkó, P., Kertész, A., & Abuczki, Á. (2019). Discourse markers in different types of reporting. In Indirect Reports and Pragmatics in the World Languages (pp. 243-276). New York: Springer, Cham.
  23. Höllerer, M.A., Jancsary, D., & Grafström, M. (2018). ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’: Multimodal sensemaking of the global financial crisis. Organization Studies, 39(5-6), 617-644. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840618765019
  24. Huntington, S. (1996). The clash of civilizations and the remaking of world order. New York: Simon and Shuster.
  25. International Social Security Association (n.d.). Retrieved on 8 September 2019 from, https://www.issa.int/en/topics/brics/introduction
  26. Joy, O. (2013). Building on 'BRICS': The next emerging economies. Retrieved on 9 September 2019 from, https://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/27/business/brics-civets-emerging-markets/index.html
  27. Lamorgese, L., & Geneletti, D. (2015). Equity in sustainability assessment: a conceptual framework. In A. Morrison-Saunders, J. Pope, A. Bond (Eds.), Handbook of sustainability assessment, research handbooks on impact assessment. (pp. 57-76). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
  28. Lea, R. (2015). Digging beneath the surface of Britain and the BRICS, it’s time to get out the JCB. Retrieved on 10 September 2019 from, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/digging-beneath-the-surface-of-britain-and-the-brics-its-time-to-get-out-the-jcb-frppd35b232
  29. Ledin, P., & Machin, D. (2019). Doing critical discourse studies with multimodality: from metafunctions to materiality. Critical Discourse Studies, 16(5), 497-513. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17405904.2018.1468789
  30. Liu, S. (2019). A multimodal discourse analysis of the interactive meaning in public service advertisement. Journal of Advances in Linguistics, 10, 1523-1534. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24297/jal.v10i0.8196
  31. Mannay, D. (2016) Visual, narrative and creative research methods. Application, Reflection and Ethics. Abingdon: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315775760
  32. Mihas, P. (2019). Qualitative data analysis. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Oxfrod: Oxfrod University Press.
  33. NGO Amnesty International (USA) (n.d.). Retrieved on 10 September 2019 from, https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/brics-nations-must-put-human-rights-first/
  34. Nirmala, G. (2016). BRICS leaders vow to speed global recovery, fight terrorism. Retrieved on 8 September 2019 from, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/10/16/brics-leaders-vow-speed-global-recovery-fight-terrorism/92199438/
  35. Niu, H. (2018). The BRICS agenda in the Asia-Pacific region. In BRICS and Global Governance (pp. 208-222). Abingdon: Routledge.
  36. Norris, S. (2019). Systematically working with multimodal data: Research methods in multimodal discourse analysis. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119168355
  37. O`Halloran, K.L. (2011). Multimodal discourse analysis. In K. Hyland and B.Paltridge (eds). Companion to Discourse. London and New York: Continuum.
  38. Partnership, global issues, trade: Putin and Modi held talks (2019). Retrieved on 10 September 2019 from, https://ria.ru/20190904/1558287807.html
  39. Ralston, D.A., Egri, C.P., Karam, C.M., Naoumova, I., Srinivasan, N., Casado, T., ... & Alas, R. (2015). The triple-bottom-line of corporate responsibility: Assessing the attitudes of present and future business professionals across the BRICs. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 32(1), 145-179. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-014-9376-x
  40. RIA NEWS (n.d.). Retrieved on 10 September 2019 from, https://ria.ru/organization_BRIKS
  41. Roderick, I. (2018). Multimodal critical discourse analysis as ethical praxis. Critical Discourse Studies, 15(2), 154-168. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17405904.2017.1418401
  42. Sachs-Hombach, K., & Thon, J.N. (2019). Introduction: Multimodal Media. Poetics Today, 40(2), 183-187. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/03335372-7298494
  43. Srinivasan, S., & Jino, M.J. (2016). Social protection: a human right to promote social justice and equity. In Social Development and Social Work Perspectives on Social Protection (pp. 72-95). Abingdon: Routledge.
  44. Skak, M. (2019). Russia 9 and the BRICS. The International Political Economy of the BRICS, 150.
  45. The Times and Sunday Times (n.d.). Retrieved on 8 September 2019 from, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/
  46. The USA Today (n.d.). Retrieved on 8 September 2019 from, https://www.usatoday.com/
  47. The Times of India (n.d.) Retrieved on 8 September 2019 from, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/BRICS
  48. Thompson, L., & Wet, P.T.D. (2018). BRICS civil society initiatives: towards the inclusion of affected communities in collective development? Third World Thematics: A TWQ Journal, 3(5-6), 745-764. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23802014.2018.1599690
  49. Thussu, D. (2018). BRI: Bridging or breaking BRICS? Global Media and China, 3(2), 117-122. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2059436418792339
  50. van Noort, C. (2017). Study of strategic narratives: The case of BRICS. Politics and Governance, 5(3), 121-129. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v5i3.961
  51. van Noort, C. (2018). BRICS issue-narrative on culture: strategic or trivial? International Journal of Cultural Policy, 24(6), 786-797. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2018.1459589
  52. van Noort, C. (2019). The Construction of power in the strategic narratives of the BRICS. Global Society, 33(4), 462-478 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13600826.2019.1581733
  53. Wignell, P., Chai, K., Tan, S., O’Halloran, K., & Lange, R. (2018). Natural language understanding and multimodal discourse analysis for interpreting extremist communications and the re-use of these materials online. Terrorism and Political Violence, 31(3), 454-474. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2018.1520703
  54. Yakovets, Yu. (2000). The Past and the Future of Civilizations. Lewiston-Queenston Lampeter: The Edwin Mellen Press.
  55. Zhao, X., Li, M., Huang, M., & Sokolov, A. (Eds.). (2018). BRICS Innovative Competitiveness Report 2017. New York: Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8078-4
  56. Zondi, S. (2019). The BRICS and the transformation of global governance: A decolonial perspective. Africa Insight, 48(4), 73-86.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.