The thesis Anti-immigrant Rhetoric and the Concept of National Identity in the French Presidential Campaign in 2012 is focused on the political discourse of three main candidates of the French presidential campaign in 2012 (Marine Le Pen, Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande). The aim of the research is to analyze the image of immigration and immigrants and on the other hand French and national identity in the discourse of the politicians. As methodological basis for the research critical discourse analysis was selected, completed by analysis of metaphors. The thesis is based on the theoretical framework composed of the following concepts: 1/ discursive reproduction of the racism by so called symbolic elites, 2/ new racism and 3/ construction of national identity. The thesis also presents the social and political context of the election. The main objective of the research is to answer the following research questions: How does the political discourse of presidential candidates deepen the gap between positive self-presentation and negative presentation of the others? And to which extent in the discourse of individual candidates can it be seen? The thesis describes specific topics, topoi and discursive strategies which are used by the candidates.

This diploma thesis deals with home births and how they were referred to in the media regarding the medial cause with a midwife Ivana Königsmarková. The goal of this work is to describe approaches that can be traced on this cause, what is the gender dimension of these approaches like and how does the aspect of power manifest itself on them. To achieve that I've chosen a method of discourse analysis which is the best one to point out the relation between language, power and ideology. Analysed material is represented by the articles from Czech media that are associated with the given cause and on basis of which the most frequently occurring topics can be traced along with their tendencies throughout time. Last but not least I'm closely analysing two chosen articles which represent two dominant ways of thinking - the medical approach of labour and natural or alternative approach.

Absract This master thesis deals with an analysis of media discourse of domestic workers in the Czech Republic. The work was based on discourse analysis of media articles generated by Anopress, which is a professional supplier of media monitoring. Through analyzing the way how media portrays institution of domestic workers, the paper tries to point out the media discourse that produces an image of domestic workers as an attractive products and organization of domestic work as a mediator for balancing public and private lives of women. Through concepts of feminist research I am going to try to prove that the media discourse is based on essentialist and discriminatory practices that have a major impact on shaping the image of institution of domestic workers and actors who are connected with this institution. Since this is a media production of information's construction thus it has a significant influence on the conceptualization of institutions of domestic workers in public sphere. Keywords: rental housework, domestic workers, media discourse, discourse analysis

This master's thesis analyses the following plays by contemporary American playwright, David Mamet: Oleanna (1992) and Glengarry Glen Ross (1983). The thesis deals with the discourse that was used and the question of the characters' power relations, which are examined from a sociolinguistic point of view. Firstly, the thesis defines power relations according to Michel Foucault and shows that communication can serve as an instrument of how to act upon others. The thesis is primarily based on the theory of Deborah Tannen, who observes the ambivalent nature of solidarity and power, and introduces her five areas of interest: indirectness, interruption, silence versus volubility, topic raising and verbal conflict. The thesis examines a selection of dialogues from the plays in order to elucidate how these aspects further influence the actions and behaviour of the characters, and explores the effects of the utterances including the effects of power. The thesis also deals with the question of failure of communication, which is examined from the perspective of Roman Jakobson's functions of language, Paul Grice's cooperative principle and Geoffrey N. Leech's politeness principle. Key Words Mamet, Oleanna, Glengarry Glen Ross, discourse, power, power relations, failure of communication

The topic of this thesis is woman's experience with natural childbirth and its potential for disruption of medical discourse, which is in the Czech Republic in obstetrics still dominating. Through the method of discoursive analysis I am trying to generate any behavior that may be in conflict with social expectations and may question norms and standards in the field of pregnancy and obstetrics. I am also trying to trace whether and how does the deepening and gaining of the birth knowledge lead to the transformation of woman's identity. Theoretically, the work is grounded in a post-structuralist paradigm and builds on the concepts of biopower, performative acting and authoritative knowledge. Data sources are stories written in support of a midwife Ivana Königsmarková and published on the internet (www.pribehyproivanu.cz).

The thesis deals with the normative discourse of transsexuality, both from a general cultural- historical perspective in the context of Western science and medicine and more specifically in the context of Czech sexology. On a detailed analysis of the publication Transsexualita: Diagnostika a léčba (Transsexuality: Diagnostics and Treatment), I illustrate the currently dominant conceptualization of transgender and/or transsexuality as a disorder, which, due to its normative influence, predetermines not only the possibilities of (self)identification available to trans* people in the Czech Republic, but also their treatment by Czech society and state institutions (e.g. in the conditions to be met for legal gender recognition, which still include compulsory sterilization). Methodologically, the thesis is chiefly grounded in discourse analysis, but it also shows an ethical standpoint in relation to the situation of Czech trans* people in the legal and medical systems. I also consider the factual dimension of transgender status and other expressions of gender diversity, primarily in maintaining a critical distance from the notions of their alleged pathology, still widespread in the normative sexological discourse. Keywords Biology, discourse, ethics, human rights, intersex, normativity, pathologization,...

The childbirth in the medical discourse is still viewed as a proces of high risk. The birth at home is then in such a discourse considered to be hazardous practice which can threaten the life of the unborn child. This paper tries to contribute to the discussions about the freedom of choice of the place of birth. The birth is then viewed from the perspective of gender as a constructed phenomenon culturaly and socialy biased. The main focus is on the research of the experience of women who gave birth at home. Their experience is to be considered as constructed as well, therefore I investigate the leverages that influence their interpretation of the birth experience. I am also interested in researching how their experience influenced their futher life and what meaning they asign to it in the context of their life experience as such. Further interest of this paper is to research the knowledge that the women, who gave birth at home, used during the proces of childbirth. The main focus is to elicit the auhoritative knowledge based on which they make decisions and how this knowledge is constituted.

The subject of this thesis is the analysis of the period discourse of tobacco product consumption in the Czech lands between the years 1864 and 1914 with main focus on the unifying and differentiating potential of tobacco. The aim of the thesis is to portray how the tobacco consumer was perceived, whether they were a pipe smoker, cigar smoker, a smoker of cigarettes newly mechanically massproduced in this period or individuals insufflating ground tobacco, usually called snuffers. The thesis deals with the representation of the physical appearance and characteristic attributes of tobacco consumers in period source material. It also tries to depict how the smoking and snuffing by women and children was perceived. This thesis also aims to capture the social distinction that tobbaco consumption was associated with and how it was perceived by individual social groups of the period. The representation of period social space and its segmentation in connection to tobacco consumption is also a part of this research. The thesis also addresses the interconnection of the period eugenics discourse and the tobacco discourse. A wide spectrum of period monographies and periodics dealing with tobacco consumption was analysed as well as selected period illustrations representing tobacco consumption. The source of...

The main aim of this thesis is to provide an overview of Chinese domestic political discourse through an analysis of the Chinese domestic media narrative surrounding the recent trade war with the United States. Using a mixed method of quantitative analysis of keywords and qualitative analysis of headline emotivity from media articles published by three big Chinese domestic news outlets, we were able to explore the language and emotions of their narrative. The results of keyword analysis identified the prevalence of politically motivated discourse, which was dominant throughout majority of this conflict. Themes such as strong self- identification, Chinese victim self-portrayal and American aggression were very strongly mentioned in the discourse of this population. Meanwhile, the interest of Chinese media in global economy and multilateral trading system was very little, with only few mentions in comparison to the political aspects of the discourse. Additionally, publishing volumes over the course of the conflict showed that despite the Chinese media reporting escalatory developments of the trade conflict more, the qualitative headline emotivity analysis discovered a general preference for the usage of rather neutral language and appeasing rhetoric.

The dissertation completes research that began in late 2007. It presents research findings concerning ways and methods of (re) construction of gender identities of Czech children placed in facilities for institutional and protective education. Based on ethnographic research in Diagnostic institute Ark there are examined practices and techniques shaping gender roles and contents, which are rooted in the so-called helping professions discourses. Psychology, special education, social work, pedagogy, education and health education are specializations that converge are under the roof of the institutes and create a discursive field for the exercise of power-colored procedures disciplining the children who are placed (cf. Laan, 1998). These procedures are directly linked to the concepts of socially desirable sex-gender order. The research objective was to capture the processes which have been neglected by the Czech professional community so far and which may become potential disciplination instruments in the hands of professionals in a wide range of helping professions, including social and special pedagogy.