Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the sensitivity of the archival method of the Oslo Ideology Project for cross-cultural studies of ideologies and ideological developments through language. Moreover, a theoretical framework for this method is outlined. The thesis is part of the Oslo Ideology Project, and the archival method examined was created by and is continually developed within this project.
The substantial motivation for cross-cultural usage of this method is the ongoing effects of globalization on local ideologies. The thesis discusses and analyzes globalization’s influence on the balance between individualistic and communal values in societies around the world. A theoretical framework for the method, grounded in discursive psychology and philosophy of language, is outlined. The method is presented in detail and supplemented with statistical tools for examining cross-cultural differences in ideological developments. Theoretical expectations about what the method should capture of ideological variation in three societies; the Czech Republic, Norway and the US, is empirically examined. In conclusion, this archive method is able to capture and describe general variations in ideology as well as providing a means for testing concrete hypotheses about specific ideological developments.