The recognition that identity is mutable, multi-layered and subject to multiple modes of construction and de-construction has contributed to problematizing the issues associated with its representation in discourse, which has recently been attracting increasing attention in different disciplinary areas. Identity representation is the main focus of this volume, which analyses instances of multimedia and multimodal communication to the public at large for commercial, informative, political or cultural purposes. In particular, it examines the impact of the increasingly sophisticated forms of expression made available by the evolution of communication technologies, especially in computer-mediated or web-based settings, but also in more traditional media (press, cinema, TV). The basic assumption shared by all contributors is that communication is the locus where identities, either collective, social or individual, are deliberately constructed and negotiated. In their variety of topics and approaches, the studies collected in this volume testify to the criticality of representing personal, professional and organizational identities through the new media, as their ability to reach a virtually unlimited audience amplifies the potential political, cultural and economic impact of discursive identity constructions. They also confirm that new highly sophisticated media can forge identities well beyond the simply iconic or textual representation, generating deeply interconnected webs of meaning capable of occupying an expanding and adaptable discursive space.

Autorentext

The Editors: Giuliana Garzone is Professor of English Linguistics and Translation at the Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy. Her main field of investigation is specialized discourse in its different domains. She has co-ordinated various research projects and published extensively on legal language, scientific discourse, business communication and political discourse. Her other research interests include translation and interpreting studies. Paola Catenaccio is a Tenured Researcher in English Linguistics and Translation at the Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy. Her research interests are in the area of discourse analysis and LSP. In particular, she has published on media genres, professional discourse and corporate communication. She is involved in several national and international research projects.

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Contents: Giuliana Garzone/Paola Catenaccio: Discursive Perspectives on Identities across Media and Modes: An Introduction - Giuliana Garzone: Identity in Tourist Communication on the Internet: Italy's and Spain's Web Sites Contrasted - Paola Catenaccio: Promoting Medical Tourism in India: Building Identity and Reputation in Health Tourism Websites - Francesca Santulli: Trademarks in Tourist Communication: Semiotic Structure and Cultural Implications - Lidia De Michelis: National Identity on the Web: The Discursive Politics of Icons. A Portrait of England - Kim Grego/Alessandra Vicentini: Building South African Web Identity: Health Care Information for Citizens vs. Foreigners - Giuditta Caliendo: The Role of the New Media in the Promotion of Identity Frameworks - Chiara Degano: Marketing Identities on Nestlé's Websites - Clara Bulfoni: Lexical Borrowing from English in the Internet Era: How to Preserve Chinese Identity? - Maria Cristina Paganoni: 'The Opinion and the Counter Opinion': News Framing and Double Voicing on Al Jazeera English - Anna Marchi/Charlotte Taylor: Who Was Fighting and Who/What Was Being Fought? The Construction of Participants' Identities in UK and US Reporting of the Iraq War - Miriam Bait: Discursive Representations of Old Age in Geriatric Medical Editorials - Cynthia Jane Kellett Bidoli: Transfer of Institutional and Political Identity through TV News Reporting for the Italian Deaf - Valentina De Cicco: The Media Process of Popularising Professional Identities. A Case Study: E.R . - Sara Villa: 'Doctor Alton, What Is a Transvestite?' The Discourses of Transvestism and Identity in Glen or Glenda by Ed Wood.