Habitus as the principle for social practice: A proposal for critical discourse analysis

Critical discourse analysts are often criticized for interpreting linguistic data in political contexts, placing the data in an artificial environment motivated by political agendas rather than scientific inquiry, and thereby disregarding findings that would follow from a data-internal and more empirically grounded analysis. This article argues that critical discourse analysis may gain proficiency for social analysis by adopting concepts suitable for cultural and historical analysis of socialization, as found in Bourdieu. Application is demonstrated in a study of a job interview, with close linguistic analysis; close attention is given to the applicant by drawing on evaluations after the interview and on a retrospective interview with the applicant. It is proposed that a method combining linguistic and socio-historical analysis may offer advantages to critical discourse analysis, including a more systematic approach to text-external contexts and qualified, balanced perception of the social agent as a creative yet socially determined individual.