Introduction: Textual choice and communication in conflict

This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part considers the structural violence which arises from representation leading to the normalisation of negative ideologies characterising homosexuality. It utilises argumentation theory and analysis based on rhetorical frameworks to examine op-ed press items covering the prelude to the 2003 Iraq War. The part shows that although popular in political policy-making and speeches, the term is not used in laws themselves. The word “conflict" perhaps brings international conflicts most readily to mind, though disagreements can occur at any level. The values or ideologies embedded in texts produced during communication in a conflict situation may be precisely those which are contested by the conflict itself. As with international conflicts, the tension may arise from competition for resources, which, in cities may be space, or what a lack of space causes, such as noise pollution.