Ideology & the social construction of meaning: A communication perspective

Abstract

This paper examines the role of ideology in the social construction of meaning. It is argued that while interpretive philosophical frameworks have attributed a constitutive function to the role of communication in meaning construction, little attention has been paid to the ways in which social relations of power mediate in this process of meaning creation. Ideology, however, is a useful heuristic concept which provides a way of contextualizing the communication process within such power relations. It is argued that communication involves not only the process of creating meaning, but is also intrinsic to the means by which relations of domination are produced and reproduced. The notion of ideology is presented as the conceptual link between communication and power.

Key concepts:

• Ideology
• power
• communication
• consciousness
• culture