Centre for Language Education Research  
School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, Queen's University Belfast

WORKSHOP- Positive Discourse Analysis: what, why, and how? 

Speaker: Prof Ahmar Mahboob, University of Sydney 

Please register here for this event. All welcome! 

Abstract: Positive Discourse Analysis (henceforth PDA) falls under the broader umbrella of discourse analysis and privileges discourses that promote empowerment and social change. PDA is often viewed as a complementary approach to Critical Discourse Analysis (henceforth CDA) which aims to expose hegemonic discourses and discourses of disempowerment. While CDA has been useful in bringing to light discriminatory discourse practices, it has been less reliable at providing the means to change such hegemonic practices. PDA on the other hand, not only promotes positive discourse, it also advocates for design and interventions that empowers people and brings about social change. In this workshop, we will look at one way in which PDA can be operationalized and used in educational contexts. 

Recommended reading for this workshop is Subaltern Practice: A practical guide.

Speaker Bio: Prof Ahmar Mahboob is this year's BAAL 2022 Pit Corder Lecture.  Prof Mahboob is also known as Prof Nomad and Sunny Boy Brumby has been working at the University of Sydney since 2004, where he is Degree Coordinator for the Master of Crosscultural and Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Ahmar is keenly interested in the application of socio-semiotics in real-world contexts. In pursuing this goal, Ahmar draws from and contributes to a range of disciplines, traditions, theories, and methodologies. Ahmar is twice recipient of the President of Pakistan’s Award for Highly Qualified Overseas Pakistanis. In 2019, he was recognised as the field leader in English language and literature by The Australian. And, in 2021, Sunny Boy’s poetry was inducted into the Australian Poetry Hall of Fame. Sunny Boy currently lives in the Indigenous lands of Gold Rivers in Cape York, Aboriginia.