Textual analysis in this context is usually creative and qualitative in its approach. They might analyze many different aspects of the text: Usually working within a particular theoretical framework (for example, using postcolonial theory, media theory, or semiotics), researchers seek to connect elements of their texts with issues in contemporary politics and culture. Researchers in these fields take media and cultural objects – for example, music videos, social media content, billboard advertising – and treat them as texts to be analyzed. In the fields of cultural studies and media studies, textual analysis is a key component of research. Textual analysis in cultural and media studies While textual analysis is most commonly applied to written language, bear in mind how broad the term “text” is and how varied the methods involved can be. You could analyze the rules of a game and what kind of behaviour they are designed to encourage in players.A building might be analyzed in terms of its architectural features and how it is navigated by visitors.To analyze a film, not only the dialogue but also the cinematography and use of sound could be relevant to the analysis.

Analysis of a short story might focus on the imagery, narrative perspective and structure of the text.The methods you use to analyze a text will vary according to the type of object and the purpose of your analysis: But in this context, a text can also be any object whose meaning and significance you want to interpret in depth: a film, an image, an artifact, even a place. A text can be a piece of writing, such as a book, an email, or a transcribed conversation. The term “text” is broader than it seems.

Textual analysis in the social sciences.

Textual analysis in cultural and media studies.

Textual examples