A FEMINIST CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF IDEOLOGY CONFLICTS IN THE WE-MEDIA REPRESENTATION OF BRIDE PRICE IN MAINLAND CHINA

Abstract

As a prerequisite for marriage in mainland China, bride price plays a vital role in comprehending gender relations in the Chinese social and cultural contexts. I examine how bride price is linguistically represented in Sina Microblog (Weibo), and how different ideologies emerge and are contested through the discursive construction of bride price. I adopt Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis and draw on Fairclough’s representation of social actors and recontextualization of social events by reference to the transitivity system and legitimation. Python and AntConc are used to collect and analyze data. I investigate bride price at three interrelated levels, namely social and cultural contexts, marital and familial relations, and the private sphere of sex and body. For each, anti-bride price and pro-bride price voices are examined. My study hopes to unravel some of the distorted and unfair representations on Weibo and pave the way for gender equality in contemporary China.