A Cultural Discursive Analysis To The Family Planning Policy

Family planning is a great strategic policy that is closely linked with the socioeconomic development, as well as the well-being of the people. Beyond the conventional, political, economical, and historical approaches, the author employs a cultural discourse research framework to analyze and assess the discourse of the Family Planning Policy. From a cultural discourse perspective, we hold the view that the formulation, administration, implementation, publicizing, and adjusting of the policy as a whole could be treated as a discursive event. The data is gathered from various kinds of media productions, newspaper reports, articles, government documents, television programs, online forums, etcetera. This thesis provides an historical overview of the history of the discourse on the Family Planning Policy; it then compares the two national debates over the central issues of the policy during different historical times. The social subjects, communication patterns, and contents of the discursive data are the three main aspects under investigation.Through detailed, qualitative studies, the author finds that the social subjects in the discourse of the Family Planning Policy increase in number, and, at the same time reveal characteristics of pluralism and democracy. The contents of the discourse in the Family Planning Policy have increased a great deal over the historical periods. Ordinary citizens have begun to employ more discursive rights though various communication forms in order to make their voice heard. The Family Planning Policy has taken the public discourse from a forceful, compulsory, cold-blooded tone to a much more gentle, democratic and human voice. The discursive practice in the Family Planning Policy has also influenced decision making and administration of the Family Planning Policy.