Power, Images, and Text: A Faircloughian CDA of a Gulf Foundation English Textbook

Abstract

This study applies Norman Fairclough's three-dimensional critical discourse analysis (CDA) framework to examine images in a foundation-level English textbook used at Gulf universities for English for academic purposes (EAP). Guided by two research questions— (1) how key social groups (gender, nationality, role) are represented in images and their verbal-text interplay, and (2) ideologies/power relations in discursive and social practices—the analysis targets a multimodal page featuring Western professionals Sylvie Dam and Michael Morgan arranging a San Francisco conference trip. Textual findings reveal balanced gender (50% female/male in equal high-status roles) but ethnocentric Western dominance: blonde figures, suits, and urban skylines exclude Gulf/Arab or minority representations. Visual grammar shows equal salience, demand gaze, and symbiotic captions naturalizing professionals as ideal English users tied to grammar like "shall." Discursively, tasks emphasize comprehension over critique, sequencing within global corporate intertextuality absent local contexts. Socially, neoliberal globalism and Anglo-hegemony emerge, prioritizing employability over cultural relevance in Gulf EAP curricula. The study results echo Dabbagh (2016) on Westernized ELT visuals and Lestari (2025) on limited multimodal criticality, highlighting regional inclusivity gaps. Conclusions underscore images' ideological reproduction of power asymmetries. Recommendations include diversified imagery (e.g., Arab professionals), reflective tasks (e.g., "Oman adaptation"), teacher supplements, equity audits, and comparative corpus research to foster plural Englishes.