Political discourse studies is a new field of research in political science. In Hungary, it emerged in the early 1990s. It put a theoretical innovation in focus: the practitioners of the various strands of discourse analysis in political science consider politics a meaningful reality, construed discursively. This innovation entailed a shift in research objects and methods. In contrast to the widespread approaches that view politics as a mere struggle for power by means of linguistic instruments, political discourse studies do not want to reduce politics to talking or communicating. On the contrary, the discursive approach to politics means a denial of any reductionism. It claims that politics cannot be derived from any external determining factor, because its own borders, themes, rules and subjects are themselves politically construed. In this sense political discourse studies offer a special point of view from where politics can be shown as a meaningful or discursive reality.
The Hungarian headquarters of political discourse studies is the Institute for Political Sciences of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences where the Centre for Political Discourse Studies (CEPODS) was founded on the basis of previous research activity, January 2005. Earlier, a Discourse Seminar, lead by Professor Márton SZABÓ, had been established for undergraduate and graduate students as well as young researchers. The members of the Centre represent various disciplines, such as political sciences, sociology, psychology or literary theory. Among the different schools in discourse studies, the Centre relates itself to the way of 'reading politically' developed most notably in the UK and Finland, developing hermeneutical and antifoundationalist projects in the study of politics.
CEPODS works as a network. It consists of members who are associated by shared research interests and co-operation. Some participate in all activities of the Centre, others take part in the program only occasionally. The weekly Discourse Seminar has remained the central framework of our ongoing activities. The Centre is an organization open for everybody interested in postmodern approaches to politics and political discourse studies.
The head of the CEPODS is Professor Márton Szabó, researcher at the Institute for Political Sciences of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.