Public Discourse and Ideology Reconstruction in Social Transition of Post-Deng China: Dynamic Typologies of Media Content

One of the driving forces behind mass media political discourse is the extent of negotiation and contestation among universes of ideology and frames of references. As such, the intensity of political discourse can be seen as a positive correlate of the degree of real and potential ideological polemics. This research investigates patterns in China’s media content within the domain of a proposed typology that focuses on three key forms of discourses: official, depoliticized, and alternative. Each of the three discourses occupies a unique niche in the country’s mass media and has its own trajectory of continuation, change, emergence, and evolution. The dynamics of the typology allows explanations of change brought about by social transformations and accounts for complex rhythms of shifting alignments, contractions or expansions of political rhetoric. The model marks a new attempt to analyze message systems vis-à-vis the formation of new social relations, particularly the rise of the middle-class and the new rich. More importantly, it seeks to unpack complex relationships between media political discourse and ideological contestation. This framework initiates a new direction in examinations of the reciprocal influence between the two. Data for this study will mainly come from content analyses and interviews of media professionals. Results are likely to shed light on China’s current media reform and contribute to knowledge about the interplay between social transition and mass communication.