In this new textbook Ian Parker provides a systematic introduction to discourse research and the essential theoretical debates of the area. It defends a realist position, discusses accounts of postmodernity and sets out criteria for the identification of discourses. Discourse Dynamics is addressed to both undergraduate students in psychology, and postgraduates and researchers new to discourse theory. It should offer useful reading for anyone interested in project research and those seeking an understanding of the issues involved in discourse analysis. It addresses the concerns of all those looking at qualitative textual research in the human sciences.