CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF LACLAU AND ITS APPLICATION IN POLICY

Discourse analysis or discourse theory deals with meaningful roles of behaviors and social ideas in political life, hence it is considered as one of the most modern research methods in political sciences. This paper, with the purpose of political studies, regards Ernesto Laclau and Shantal Mouffe`s discourse analysis more appropriate, and as a result, in addition to stating the grounds for the formation and typology of discourse analyses, it determines the main concepts and the function of Laclau and Mouffe`s discourse analysis as well as criticisms on this post-modern approach, with regard to Iranian-Islamic research.It can be assumed that Laclau and Mouffe`s discourse analysis has potentials to political determinations, even for the case of Islamic Revolution discourse; yet regarding the drawbacks to this post-modern discourse analysis, selective borrowing from this theory and level of analysis can be made and it can be used as an analytical tool for Islamic Revolution studies. To attain this objective, it requires some rethinking and free utilization of Laclau and Mouffe`s discourse analysis with its theoretical structure in local and Islamic political research.