National Security Project
SMA

Chinese Worldview and Perspectives on Space: An Analysis of Public Discourse

Contested Space Operations

NSI applied it's discourse analysis to discern how language used in discussion about the space domain reveals the interests of state actors. Corpora from three sources were examined using semi-automated discourse analysis to gauge the Chinese government’s concerns in the space domain and how these interests are articulated with general political and cultural issues. The primary findings from the discourse are presented as Chinese perspectives and worldview with respect to the space domain and general themes.

POC: For inquiries regarding this work, please contact Dr. Lawrence Kuznar (lkuznar@nsiteam.com).

Project Team: Weston Aviles, Lawrence Kuznar, Ph.D.

Description: This discourse analysis focuses on how language used in discussion about the space domain reveals the interests of state actors. Corpora from three sources were examined using semi-automated discourse analysis to gauge the Chinese government’s concerns in the space domain and how these interests are articulated with general political and cultural issues. The primary findings from the discourse are presented as Chinese perspectives and worldview with respect to the space domain and general themes.

The basis of discourse analysis is that people knowingly and unknowingly signal their values and intentions in the way they use language. Thematic analysis focuses on themes people employ that reveal what matters to them, while discourse analysis focuses on the linguistic tools people use to deploy and emphasize these themes.The approach used in this study combines thematic analysis and discourse analysis to identify which issues matter most to a speaker and to what degree they do so. Because people are often unaware of the extent to which they signal their values and intentions, identification of key themes can provide early indicators and warnings (I&W) of political actions.

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