The political discourse and material practice of technology enhanced learning

Technology discloses man’s mode of dealing with Nature, the process of production by which he sustains his life, and thereby also lays bare the mode of formation of his social relations, and of the mental conceptions that flow from them (Marx, 1990: 372) My thesis is a Sociological analysis of UK policy discourse for educational technology during the last 15 years. My framework is a dialogue between the Marxist-based critical social theory of Lieras and a corpus-based Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of UK policy for Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) in higher education. Embedded in TEL is a presupposition: a deterministic assumption that technology has enhanced learning. This conceals a necessary debate that reminds us it is humans that design learning, not technology. By omitting people, TEL provides a vehicle for strong hierarchical or neoliberal, agendas to make simplified claims politically, in the name of technology. My research has two main aims: firstly, I share a replicable, mixed methodological approach for linguistic analysis of the political discourse of TEL. Quantitatively, I examine patterns in my corpus to question forms of ‘use’ around technology that structure a rigid basic argument which ‘enframes’ educational technology (Heidegger, 1977: 38). In a qualitative analysis of findings, I ask to what extent policy discourse evaluates technology in one way, to support a Knowledge Based Economy (KBE) in a political economy of neoliberalism (Jessop 2004, Fairclough 2006). If technology is commodified as an external enhancement, it is expected to provide an ‘exchange value’ for learners (Marx, 1867). I therefore examine more closely what is prioritised and devalued in these texts. Secondly, I disclose a form of austerity in the discourse where technology, as an abstract force, undertakes tasks usually ascribed to humans (Lieras, 1996, Brey, 2003:2). This risks desubjectivisation, loss of power and limits people’s relationships with technology and with each other. A view of technology in political discourse as complete without people closes possibilities for broader dialectical (Fairclough, 2001, 2007) and ‘convivial’ (Illich, 1973) understandings of the intimate, material practice of engaging with technology in education. In opening the ‘black box’ of TEL via CDA I reveal talking points that are otherwise concealed. This allows me as to be reflexive and self-critical through praxis, to confront my own assumptions about what the discourse conceals and what forms of resistance might be required. In so doing, I contribute to ongoing debates about networked learning, providing a context to explore educational technology as a technology, language and learning nexus.

Is corporate social responsibility a new spirit of capitalism?

Our study casts doubt on whether the managerial literature on corporate social responsibility is currently capable of developing a persuasive discourse to bring about change in corporate capitalism. By applying the framework and methodology of the spirit of capitalism, introduced by Boltanski and Chiapello, to a corpus of managerial books, we suggest that corporate social responsibility exhibits the core characteristics that together exemplify the ‘spirit of capitalism’. However, corporate social responsibility deals inadequately with the two key characteristics of the spirit of capitalism—security and fairness—by disregarding individual security and tangible rewards for workers who play decisive roles in enacting the spirit. The lack of consideration for workers could weaken the potential of corporate social responsibility to grow into a new spirit of capitalism and to bring about changes envisioned by critical management studies in corporate capitalism.

Deconstruction-analysis-explanation:contextualization in professional digital discourse

It is already a truism that emerging communication technologies have changed the landscape of communication in every aspect of our lives, but this is specifically true for how we communicate at work. Advances in communication technologies have enabled a wide range of digital communication modes to be utilized for both internal and external business communication; including audio and visual communication and voice-over protocols, as well as text-based channels, such as email, forums, instant messaging and social media. In spite of the wide range of available audio-visual channels, and despite the ever-increasing popularity of email, real-time text-based communication technologies (instant messaging or IM) are also on the rise (see Mak, 2014; Pazos et al., 2013; Radicati & Levenstein, 2013; and Markman in this volume). The prominence of IM is evident in the rise of this mode of communication, not only as a tool for internal business communication, but as a front-stage channel, particularly for customer service encounters or professional-client conversations (Makarem et al., 2009; Pearce et al., 2013; L. Zhang et al., 2011).

Enjoying the third age! Discourse, identity and liminality in extra-care communities

Extra-care housing has been an important and growing element of housing and care for older people in the United Kingdom since the 1990s. Previous studies have examined specific features and programmes within extra-care locations, but few have studied how residents negotiate social life and identity. Those that have, have noted that while extra care brings many health-related and social benefits, extra-care communities can also be difficult affective terrain. Given that many residents are now ‘ageing in place’ in extra care, it is timely to revisit these questions of identity and affect. Here we draw on the qualitative element of a three-year, mixed-method study of 14 extra-care villages and schemes run by the ExtraCare Charitable Trust. We follow Alemàn in regarding residents' ambivalent accounts of life in ExtraCare as important windows on the way in which liminal residents negotiate the dialectics of dependence and independence. However, we suggest that the dialectic of interest here is that of the third and fourth age, as described by Gilleard and Higgs. We set that dialectic within a post-structuralist/Lacanian framework in order to examine the different modes of enjoyment that liminal residents procure in ExtraCare's third age public spaces and ideals, and suggest that their complaints can be read in three ways: as statements about altered material conditions; as inter-subjective bolstering of group identity; and as fantasmatic support for liminal identities. Finally, we examine the implications that this latter psycho-social reading of residents' complaints has for enhancing and supporting residents' wellbeing.

Diskurzuselemzés a politika- és vezetéstudományban (Discourse analysis in the political and management sciences)

A XX. század második felében lejátszódó nyelvi fordulat révén egy újfajta posztmodern irányzat jelent meg a társadalomtudományok területén. A diskurzuselméleti megközelítésmód sajátos nézőpontjával az 1990-es évekre már diszciplínateremtő igénnyel is fellépett. Az új tudományos szemlélet számos társadalomtudományi területen jelent meg. Jelen tanulmány a különböző elméleti irányzatokat és a hozzájuk kapcsolódó módszereket tekinti át, és célja a diskurzuselemzés alkalmazhatóságának bemutatása a politika- és a vezetéstudományok területén. ____ Due to a new linguistic revolution occurred in the second half of the twentieth century new post modern tendencies appeared in the field of social sciences. Discourse theory with its unique perspective has succeeded in building up a discipline at the 1990s. This new scientific approach has appeared in several social sciences. This study surveys different theoretical trends and related methods and aims to demonstrate the applicability of discourse analysis in the field of political and management sciences.

Entering an academic discourse community: A case study of the coping strategies of eleven English as a Second Language students

This case study follows eleven non-English speaking students as they adapt to community college, content courses. The three classes examined are required freshman classes--Humanities, Social Environment, and Individual in Transition. In order to cope with the demands of these classes, students must penetrate the academic discourse community and have effective relationships with their instructors and their peers. The results of the study are based on interviews with eleven non-native speaking (NNS) students and their instructors and on an analysis of student writing assignments, course syllabi, and exams. Three general areas are examined: (a) students' first-language (L$\sb1$) education, (b) the requirements of their content classes, and (c) the affective factors which influence their adaptation process.^ The case of these students reveals that: (1) Students draw on their L$\sb1$ education, especially in terms of content, as they cope with the demands of these content classes. (2) In some areas L$\sb1$ educational experiences interfere with students' ability to adapt. (3) The content classes require students to have well developed reading, writing, oral, and aural skills. (4) Students must use higher level cognitive skills to be successful in content classes. (5) Affective factors play a role in students' success in content classes. The discussion section includes possible implications of this data for college level English as a Second Language courses. ^

The relationship between classroom interactions and exclusionary discipline as a social practice: A critical microethnograhy

Exclusionary school discipline results in students being removed from classrooms as a consequence of their disruptive behavior and may lead to subsequent suspension and/or expulsion. Literature documents that nondominant students, particularly Black males, are disproportionately impacted by exclusionary discipline, to the point that researchers from a variety of critical perspectives consider exclusionary school discipline an oppressive educational practice and condition. Little or no research examines specific teacher-student social interactions within classrooms that influence teachers’ decisions to use or not use exclusionary discipline. Therefore, this study set forth the central research question: In relation to classroom interactions in alternative education settings, what accounts for teachers’ use or non-use of exclusionary discipline with students? A critical social practice theory of learning served as the framework for exploring this question, and a critical microethnographic methodology informed the data collection and analysis. ^ Criterion sampling was used to select four classrooms in the same alternative education school with two teachers who frequently and two who rarely used exclusionary discipline. Nine stages of data collection and reconstructive data analysis were conducted. Data collection involved video recorded classroom observations, digitally recorded interviews of teachers and students discussing selected video segments, and individual teacher interviews. Reconstructive data analysis procedures involved hermeneutic inferencing of possible underlying meanings, critical discourse analysis, interactive power analysis and role analysis, thematic analysis of the interactions in each classroom, and a final comparative analysis of the four classrooms. ^ Four predominant themes of social interaction (resistance, conformism, accommodation, and negotiation) emerged with terminology adapted from Giroux’s (2001) theory of resistance in education and Third Space theory (Gutiérrez, 2008). Four types of power (normative, coercive, interactively established contracts, and charm), based on Carspecken’s (1996) typology, were found in the interactions between teacher and students in varying degrees for different purposes. ^ This research contributes to the knowledge base on teacher-student classroom interactions, specifically in relation to exclusionary discipline. Understanding how the themes and varying power relations influence their decisions and actions may enable teachers to reduce use of exclusionary discipline and remain focused on positive teacher-student academic interactions. ^

When Poverty Becomes Profitable: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Microfinancial Development in Haiti

For the past thirty years, policymakers have lauded microfinance for its promises to reduce poverty and empower women in developing nations. First conceived by the Bangladeshi economist Muhammed Yunus and the bank he founded, microfinance has been hailed as a visionary project that promises to advance the economic interests of the poor by engaging them directly. Conventional studies by political scientists explore the place of microfinance in the global development architecture of international financial institutions, governments, and NGOs. Economic studies of its effectiveness are contributing to a crisis of legitimacy since they reveal that thousands of clients in developing nations continue to default on their loans due to predatory lending practices. Drawing on discourse analysis methodology, this article seeks to explain how microfinance, an industry embedded in the financialization of development, is now concerned with high financial returns for investments, not the social goals promised by its original raison d'être. Treating microfinance as a discourse, I argue that there is a fundamental tension between the short-term social goals promised by microfinance and the long-term financial objectives of sustainability of investors.

"New" Social Movements: Alternative Modernities, (Trans)local Nationalisms, and Solidarity Economies

My dissertation is the first project on the Haitian Platform for Advocacy for an Alternative Development- PAPDA, a nation-building coalition founded by activists from varying sectors to coordinate one comprehensive nationalist movement against what they are calling an Occupation. My work not only provides information on this under-theorized popular movement but also situates it within the broader literature on the postcolonial nation-state as well as Latin American and Caribbean social movements. The dissertation analyzes the contentious relationship between local and global discourses and practices of citizenship. Furthermore, the research draws on transnational feminist theory to underline the scattered hegemonies that intersect to produce varied spaces and practices of sovereignty within the Haitian postcolonial nation-state. The dissertation highlights how race and class, gender and sexuality, education and language, and religion have been imagined and co-constituted by Haitian social movements in constructing ‘new’ collective identities that collapse the private and the public, the rural and the urban, the traditional and the modern. My project complements the scholarship on social movements and the postcolonial nation-state and pushes it forward by emphasizing its spatial dimensions. Moreover, the dissertation de-centers the state to underline the movement of capital, goods, resources, and populations that shape the postcolonial experience. I re-define the postcolonial nation-state as a network of local, regional, international, and transnational arrangements between different political agents, including social movement actors. To conduct this interdisciplinary research project, I employed ethnographic methods, discourse and textual analysis, as well as basic mapping and statistical descriptions in order to present a historically-rooted interpretation of individual and organizational negotiations for community-based autonomy and regional development.

The Relationship between Classroom Interactions and Exclusionary Discipline as a Social Practice: A Critical Microethnography

Exclusionary school discipline results in students being removed from classrooms as a consequence of their disruptive behavior and may lead to subsequent suspension and/or expulsion. Literature documents that nondominant students, particularly Black males, are disproportionately impacted by exclusionary discipline, to the point that researchers from a variety of critical perspectives consider exclusionary school discipline an oppressive educational practice and condition. Little or no research examines specific teacher-student social interactions within classrooms that influence teachers’ decisions to use or not use exclusionary discipline. Therefore, this study set forth the central research question: In relation to classroom interactions in alternative education settings, what accounts for teachers’ use or non-use of exclusionary discipline with students? A critical social practice theory of learning served as the framework for exploring this question, and a critical microethnographic methodology informed the data collection and analysis. Criterion sampling was used to select four classrooms in the same alternative education school with two teachers who frequently and two who rarely used exclusionary discipline. Nine stages of data collection and reconstructive data analysis were conducted. Data collection involved video recorded classroom observations, digitally recorded interviews of teachers and students discussing selected video segments, and individual teacher interviews. Reconstructive data analysis procedures involved hermeneutic inferencing of possible underlying meanings, critical discourse analysis, interactive power analysis and role analysis, thematic analysis of the interactions in each classroom, and a final comparative analysis of the four classrooms. Four predominant themes of social interaction (resistance, conformism, accommodation, and negotiation) emerged with terminology adapted from Giroux’s (2001) theory of resistance in education and Third Space theory (Gutiérrez, 2008). Four types of power (normative, coercive, interactively established contracts, and charm), based on Carspecken’s (1996) typology, were found in the interactions between teacher and students in varying degrees for different purposes. This research contributes to the knowledge base on teacher-student classroom interactions, specifically in relation to exclusionary discipline. Understanding how the themes and varying power relations influence their decisions and actions may enable teachers to reduce use of exclusionary discipline and remain focused on positive teacher-student academic interactions.

Entering an academic discourse community: A case study of the coping strategies of eleven english as a second language students

This case study follows eleven non-English speaking students as they adapt to community college, content courses. The three classes examined are required freshman classes--Humanities, Social Environment, and Individual in Transition. In order to cope with the demands of these classes, students must penetrate the academic discourse community and have effective relationships with their instructors and their peers. The results of the study are based on interviews with eleven non-native speaking (NNS) students and their instructors and on an analysis of student writing assignments, course syllabi, and exams. Three general areas are examined: (a) students' first-language (L1) education, (b) the requirements of their content classes, and (c) the affective factors which influence their adaptation process. The case of these students reveals that: 1. Students draw on their L1 education, especially in terms of content, as they cope with the demands of these content classes. 2. In some areas L1 educational experiences interfere with students' ability to adapt. 3. The content classes require students to have well developed reading, writing, oral, and aural skills. 4. Students must use higher level cognitive skills to be successful in content classes. 5. Affective factors play a role in students' success in content classes. The discussion section includes possible implications of this data for college level English as a Second Language courses.

Identidades coletivas de estudiosos da linguagem no currículo lattes: docência, pertença social e capital cultural-acadêmico

The discussion involving the identity of social actors has taken place for some years, however, it has become significant for the discourse studies over the last years due to the fragmentation of postmodern actors. Understanding the identity as a symbolic concept that can aid in the detection of certain realities - a kind of mechanism / a magnifying glass (MERLUCCI, 1985) - you can check the linguistic materiality of the introductory text of the lattes resume as a adequate place for the formation of collective identities . The aim of this dissertation is to reflect, in a time of postmodernity, through the lattes introductory curriculum texts, the collective identities of the language researchers are portrayed in discursive and social practices based on the accumulation of cultural and academic capital. For analysis, surrounding the indisciplinary posture in Applied Linguistics (MOITA-LOPES, 2006), the descriptive / interpretive methodology was used (MAGALHÃES, 2001). Whereas the study method and the social theory, as state reasons of the research makes use of the Sociological Approach and Communicational Discourse, chain linked to the assumptions of Critical Discourse Analysis (PEDROSA, 2012a). The corpus is constituted of twenty-seven introductory texts from the lattes curriculum of language researchers, connected to three institutions of higher learning in Sergipe. After the collection, on the lattes platform, and the numbering of the curriculum in order to achieve the research objective, we performed the analysis based on three identity themes: teaching, social belonging (BAJOIT, 2006; DESCHAMPS; MOLINER, 2009) and the accumulation of academic-cultural capital (BOURDIEU, 2004; HEY, 2008). The data show that the texts of the lattes curriculum are based on hegemonic and ideological principals, referring to the accumulation of academic assets, the valuation of actors and the hierarchical positions, recognized and ratified by couples who socialize among themselves Right now, the research allows us to infer that, in postmodernity, some collective identity assumptions, contribute to the understanding of the academic reality, around the the lattes curriculum.

PUBLICIDADE E O POLITICAMENTE CORRETO: INTERDISCURSIVIDADES NA CONSTRUÇÃO SOCIAL DO SENTIDO

Ao que se percebe, paradigmas até então vigentes passam a ser considerados singulares e ditatoriais. Em contrapartida, estabelece-se uma nova acepção, cujo norte é o pensar “politicamente correto”. Entendendo a publicidade como um produto sociocultural, essa pesquisa inicialmente é bibliográfica visando à conceituação e análise de questões inerentes ao seu tema. Com este contexto devidamente apreendido, uma análise pragmática do discurso foi realizada em um corpus de anúncios publicitários veiculados entre 2009 e 2014, no meio televisivo brasileiro de formato aberto. Nossa investigação se concentrou nos modos com que os elementos postulados pelo pensamento politicamente correto vêm sendo incorporados ao gênero publicitário em construções de sentido. Pudemos observar uma tendência de repreensão de determinados grupos a conteúdos publicitários que tocam em temáticas muito específicas, com interpretações marcadas por um alto grau de subjetividade; e o que se busca muitas vezes, através de um empoderamento permitido por nosso contexto atual, é mesmo a supressão de determinadas temáticas dentro da comunicação publicitária.

O ESTÉTICO E O SOCIAL, IMAGEM E CONTEXTO NA CAPA DA ILUSTRÍSSIMA

Esta pesquisa investiga a presença da imagem na capa do suplemento cultural dominical da Folha de S. Paulo, a Ilustríssima, a partir de um estudo de caso. O foco foi a análise das condições sociais e estéticas de produção dessa imagem de origem artística, levando em conta a mistura entre arte e jornalismo que o suplemento comporta e os conceitos de hibridação e de convergência. Técnicas da Análise de Discurso auxiliaram na análise da articulação entre as questões estéticas (condições textuais) e extratextuais (condições sociais), onde os sentidos são renovados a partir das tensões e contradições entre texto e contexto. A metodologia baseia-se nos Estudos Visuais, campo que tem o pensamento de Edgar Morin como principal influência, possibilitando-nos um olhar complexo sobre a produção da imagem presente na Ilustríssima.

The evolution of immigration discourse in the Maltese press from 2005 to 2015: A case study of the Times of Malta

El drama migratorio del cual está siendo Europa testigo en estas últimas semanas es en parte el resultado de una falta de políticas comunitarias en relación a este tema, hecho del cual, en los últimos años, se han hecho eco multitud de medios. Europa, y en especial los países del Mediterráneo, ha experimentado un incremento sustancial en el número de inmigrantes que llegan a sus costas en condiciones cada vez más deplorables y arriesgando gravemente su integridad física. Este hecho está principalmente motivado por el aumento y la intensidad de los conflictos bélicos en países de África y Oriente próximo. En el caso de Malta, un diminuto archipiélago ubicado entre los territorios de Libia y Sicilia, el cambio en la tendencia migratoria que se produjo en 2002 le hizo pasar de ser un país de emigrantes a un país receptor de inmigrantes. Este cambio dio como resultado la aparición de grupos y partidos anti-inmigración, como Azzjoni Nazzjonali, y de un sentimiento de preocupación frente a la llegada de inmigrantes que crece de manera constante según se refleja en encuestas europeas (véase Eurobarometer 82-83). Desde el punto de vista lingüístico, el discurso discriminatorio empleado por los medios de comunicación, organismos y figuras políticas ha sido ampliamente estudiado dentro de la rama del Análisis Crítico del Discurso (Charteris-Black, 2006; Fairclough, 1989, Reisigl & Wodak, 2001; Santa Ana, 1999; Van Dijk, 1984, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2006, Van Leeuwen & Wodak, 1999). En los últimos años, se ha potenciado el uso de un enfoque cognitivo en el análisis de este tipo de discursos. Dicho enfoque utiliza elementos tomados de la lingüística cognitiva para explicar cómo la representación de eventos y participantes en el discurso atiende, o está motivada por la conceptualización mental de dichos eventos y participantes (Charteris-Black, 2006; Hart, 2011; Musolff, 2012; Núñez-Perucha, 2011; O’Brien, 2003; Santa Ana, 1999; Van Dijk, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006; Wodak, 2006). El Análisis Crítico del Discurso es una disciplina cuyo principal objetivo es analizar cómo ciertos fenómenos sociales que se basan en relaciones de abuso de poder y dominación se representan en el discurso de las denominadas élites (Van Dijk, 2001). Muchos de estos discursos atienden a lo que en lingüística se ha denominado discurso de discriminación, en donde un grupo dominante ejerce poder sobre otro mediante el uso de diversas herramientas discursivas. Generalmente, estos estudios sobre discursos de discriminación se han centrado en fenómenos como el machismo o el racismo. Dentro de este último campo, cabe destacar el trabajo de Van Dijk en el análisis del discurso del racismo y del discurso de la inmigración (Van Dijk, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006). El presente trabajo se centra en analizar cómo la prensa maltesa ha representado el fenómeno de la inmigración y a los inmigrantes desde 2005 hasta 2015. Dentro de esta línea temporal, se presta especial atención al día 2 de abril de 2013. Esta es la fecha en la que la Associated Press, una organización de prensa independiente con subscriptores alrededor del mundo, decidió incluir un importante cambio léxico en su manual de estilo. El motivo del mismo era modificar el uso del adjetivo “ilegal” recomendando su uso para referirse exclusivamente a acciones (ej. Inmigración ilegal) pero nunca para referirse a individuos (ej. Inmigrante ilegal). Nuestro estudio pretende identificar hasta qué punto esta medida se ha puesto en práctica en los periódicos malteses y qué repercusiones ha tenido su incorporación en la representación de los inmigrantes y la inmigración. Para ello, se ha seleccionado como caso de estudio uno de los periódicos en lengua inglesa más leídos en el archipiélago, Times of Malta. El estudio se ha centrado en el análisis de un total de treinta artículos de opinión repartidos de manera homogénea (quince y quince) en dos corpus. El primer corpus contiene artículos pertenecientes a un periodo de tiempo que va desde 2005 hasta la fecha en la cual el cambio léxico de la Associated Press fue publicado, es decir, el 2 de abril de 2013. Por otro lado, el segundo corpus contiene artículos desde el 2 de abril de 2013 hasta mediados de 2015. Para agilizar y facilitar el análisis de los artículos, se ha hecho uso del programa llamado WordSmith Tools, el cual está especializado en el trabajo con corpus. Este programa se utilizó principalmente para analizar la representación semántica de los distintos participantes y eventos. Los resultados del análisis demuestran que el periódico ha aplicado el cambio léxico sugerido por la Associated Press al no encontrarse ningún ejemplo de “inmigrante ilegal” o “migrante ilegal” a partir del 2 de abril de 2013. En estos mismos resultados también se aprecia una representación más positiva de la figura del inmigrante en el segundo corpus, dónde el inmigrante abandona la categoría léxica de “criminal” para comenzar a ser visto cada vez más como la víctima. También a nivel léxico, se puede observar cómo los autores tienden a usar cada vez más el término “migrante” en lugar de “inmigrante”. A pesar de que este último continúa siendo el término más utilizado para referirse a la persona que llega desde otro país, el significativo incremento del uso de la palabra “migrante” en el segundo corpus es llamativo y puede deberse a que la palabra “inmigrante” haya adquirido connotaciones negativas por su repetido uso junto al adjetivo “ilegal”. De entre las estrategias discursivas empleadas en la representación de la sociedad maltesa, cabe destacar dos. Por un lado, tenemos el uso de la victimización, mediante la cual la población maltesa aparece como una víctima frente a la inmigración, que es vista como una amenaza, al mismo tiempo que Malta es también víctima de la falta de apoyo internacional. En segundo lugar, es también común encontrar artículos en donde el autor destaca las cualidades positivas de la sociedad maltesa, especialmente su generosidad. Esta última estrategia es lo que Van Dijk denomina national self-glorifiation (2000:220; 2006:738). En cuanto al uso de las metáforas, el cambio es menos significativo. En general, ambos corpus muestran ejemplos de metáforas en las que el inmigrante aparece conceptualizado como parte de un fenómeno natural incontrolable, un invasor o un organismo dispuesto a infectar o dañar de algún modo el país. En el segundo corpus, sin embargo, desaparecen las metáforas en las que el inmigrante se percibe como un animal inferior, que sí aparecían en el primer corpus. Esto supone un cambio positivo. Hasta este punto hemos resumido los cambios en la representación de los inmigrantes. Respecto al modo en el cual el fenómeno de la inmigración aparece representado en los periódicos, también encontramos cambios importantes. A nivel léxico, el cambio que mencionábamos relativo a los términos “inmigrante” y “migrante” también se produce a la hora de nombrar este fenómeno social. De este modo, la palabra “migración” es más usada en el segundo corpus que en el primero, aunque sigue ocupando el segundo lugar por detrás de la palabra “inmigración”. En cuanto a los contenidos, se puede observar un cambio positivo hacia una mayor concienciación social. Por ejemplo, vemos cómo en el segundo corpus en ocasiones se pide una respuesta estatal a temas como la integración de los inmigrantes o el racismo entre la sociedad, mientras que en el primer corpus la integración era una labor del inmigrante y el racismo era un tema incómodo. En el segundo corpus también encontramos la queja más clara hacia el uso de centros de detención en la isla. En el primer corpus, aunque algunos autores manifestaban su disconformidad con las condiciones en las cuales los inmigrantes vivían dentro de los centros de detención, todos asumían que tener dichos centros era una medida necesaria. Esta especie de consenso social y político acerca del uso de centros de detención se consigue mediante el empleo de herramientas discursivas que representen la inmigración como una amenaza de la cual hay que protegerse (negative other-presentation Van Dijk, 2000:221; 2006:738). En resumen, podemos decir que este trabajo muestra una progresión en el discurso de inmigración en Malta hacia una representación más positiva y amable del inmigrante y de la inmigración. Aunque las limitaciones de este estudio hacen imposible establecer una relación única y directa entre los cambios experimentados por el periódico y el cambio léxico sugerido por la Associated Press, lo cierto es que la descriminalización de los inmigrantes a nivel léxico (mediante la supresión de términos como “ilegal” o “detenidos”) ha influido de manera positiva en el tono y la forma en que este periódico se refiere al fenómeno social de la inmigración