Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/10
Browse
2 results
Search Results
Item Restricted SAUDI ARABIA’S TRANSFORMATION AND ITS GLOBAL IMPACT ON LINGUISTIC AND DISCOURSE-PRAGMATICS(Indiana University, Bloomington, 2024-12) Althuwaini, Anas; Obeng, Samuel GyasiThis dissertation examines the evolving Western perceptions of Saudi Arabia under HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) leadership, focusing on U.S. online discourse and MBS’ communication strategies. Employing a multi-perspective analysis, the study investigates how MBS’ leadership has affected Western, particularly American, views of Saudi Arabia as reflected in media discourse and public opinion. The research is structured around three interconnected studies. The first study examines MBS’ hedging strategies in his 2023 Fox News interview with Bret Baier, highlighting how linguistic devices are employed to navigate sensitive topics, manage ambiguity, and maintain public image. The analysis reveals that MBS strategically uses hedges, such as modal verbs and approximators, to convey pragmatic functions such as caution and avoidance of firm commitments on controversial issues. It demonstrates that his use of hedging is comparable to that of other politicians, such as President Barack Obama (of the United States) and King Abdullah II (of Jordan). The second study employs Conversation Analysis (CA) methodology to subject YouTube comments on MBS’ 2023 Fox News interview to empirical inspection, focusing on adjacency pairs (AP) with the view to synthesizing and analyzing the interactional patterns and thematic content of the interview. This study reveals varied comments showing strong feelings about MBS’ leadership, vision for Saudi Arabia, and handling of international issues. User interactions demonstrate the negotiation of meaning, highlighting the contentious nature of MBS’ public image. The third study is a longitudinal analysis of Reddit users’ discourse from primarily US-focused subreddits about the political image of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2023, utilizing computer-mediated discourse analysis (CMDA) and the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) tool. The study finds increased analytical thinking over time, particularly following major political events. Clout, authenticity, and emotional tone fluctuated, with clout peaking during significant events like the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The discourse generally maintained a negative emotional tone, with a slight positive trend in later years. By integrating pragmatic, conversational, and computational methodologies, this dissertation provides a nuanced understanding of how MBS’ leadership and Saudi Arabia’s reforms have been portrayed and debated in digital spaces. It contributes to discourse analysis, media studies, and international relations by offering insights into the interplay between leadership rhetoric, media representation, and public opinion in the digital age.31 0Item Restricted Assessing Discourses on Sustainability in Public-Private Collaboration for Promoting Coffee Programs in Saudi Arabia(Wageningen University and Research, 2024-03-22) Alshehri, Jamela; Mangnus, Ellen; Biesbroek, RobbertThe research examines sustainable programs aimed at improving coffee production in Saudi Arabia, specifically focusing on policies related to environmental and socio-economic concerns. The overarching objective is to provide recommendations that can enhance coffee production regulations and ultimately contribute to their improvement. Accordingly, two methodologies were utilized to address the research inquiries: stakeholder analysis and discourse analysis employing Dryzek's approach. Relevant data was gathered from official sources, including documents related to coffee production programs as well as speeches delivered by members of relevant organizations. The findings obtained from the initial method stress the importance of a coordinated approach, particularly through collaboration between government and private partners under the leadership of the Saudi Coffee Company, and to identify an entity that can unify efforts among diverse stakeholders. Moreover, the discourse analysis revealed three primary sustainability discourses identified throughout the document analysis, which are: 1. The integration discourse encompasses the three common dimensions of sustainability and ensures the translation of sustainability into actionable measures by leveraging technology; 2. the economic capitalism discourse with the aim of fostering economic growth for the area, including farmers and related sectors, while also targeting local demand and increasing global contribution; and 3. the discourse surrounding water scarcity emerges as a crucial aspect, necessitating investment in water-efficient technologies amidst rising competition for resources. The argumentative structure within the coffee program discourse highlighted the tension between economic development and environmental concerns by shedding light on the necessity of striking a balance to sustain coffee production while also considering environmental conservation and social responsibility. Exploring the challenges surrounding coffee production from multiple discourses' perspectives allows for a deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of these challenges. Sustainable production programs, aimed at contributing to the economic growth of the country, could be threatened by these challenges. Therefore, the research ends by formulating recommendations to help identify some of the root causes of these challenges and explore possible solutions.15 0