What is Contextual Analysis in Reading?

If you are in an unknown situation, you definitely have a bunch of questions in your mind – who, what, why, when, where, how… The important process of breaking down the problem to better understand the situation is called contextual analysis, and in reading, it is called contextual analysis. The whole picture consists of small and different elements, and if we get to know each of them, we’ll end up with an understanding of how and why they all fit together. In a situation where way-outs are looked for for the potential problem or when there is a misunderstanding or conflict, contextual analysis helps one create a more detailed and complete picture and analyze it from many different perspectives.

The importance of context analysis

From small enterprises to large-scale businesses, context analysis serves as an important tool. In your business, it is a powerful tool for recognizing the potential external factors that can be risky or impactful on your operations. The more you analyze the industry in which you run your business from economic and technological angles, the better your understanding will be, which means you will be ready to face difficulties and leave your mark in the market. Your abundant knowledge and full information can help you easily improve performance, develop better strategies, and ensure future growth. However, having your unique space in the market and leaving others behind will require efforts that are necessary for contextual analysis.

Context of a discussion

It is close to impossible to understand the context of a discussion without considering the circumstances and important factors of the conversation.

• Who takes part in the conversation?
• What relationship do the participants have?
• Why do they have a discussion/conversation/dialogue?
• Is it an agreement, announcement, or something else?

It is really good to know in advance how the conversation will soon evolve. To predict the next topic or the next stop of the communication, understanding the context is of key importance. In addition, the context can help you befriend someone, conclude the terms of an agreement, and highlight the conflicts in advance.

When the context of communication is understood, 

• The interaction becomes more effective,
• The ambiguity is resolved, and the clarity improves.
• The level of misunderstanding reduces,
• The responses are more accurate and relevant,
• social connections and relationships improve,
• Constructive dialogue is encouraged, and conflict escalations are prevented.

When trying to grasp the concept of communication, both content and context should be considered. Drawing parallels between them and shedding light on each of them will help better understand the text, situation, or communication. Sometimes we say content is king and sometimes context is king. Read further to differentiate between these two and know their main differences:

• Content is the backbone; in other words, it refers to the actual information. It is the key message, said or written. 
• Context touches on the situation, factors, and circumstances that leave their impact on the meaning and way of interpretation.
• Context encompasses the setting in which actions take place as well as the speaker’s tone of voice, etc.
• The same content might have different interpretations just because of how the context is presented. A sentence like “I don’t want anything” can be a good example. While in one context it shows satisfaction and no necessity of something extra, on another note it can be used sarcastically. 
• Before perceiving someone else’s message, it is recommended to ask questions and clarify everything if the main content is not enough. The answers will provide a broader context for you. 

1. Subject Identification

What are you analyzing? Whatever your subject is, identifying it is your first step. For all kinds of texts, literary pieces, speeches, scripts, and advertisements, you begin by defining the scope, which is the way to clearly set up things for the upcoming analysis. Before you understand the purpose (identifying the main message, the hidden idea, cultural influence, etc.), decide what aspect you will concentrate on. 

2. Background information

Historical – What was occurring in the world/country/home at the time? 

Socio-cultural – Were there any specific cultural norms, beliefs, or traditions?

Economic background – What financial hardships have people faced? Did they survive after all the struggle?

3. Purpose and audience identification

Creator’s aim – Did the author have the intention of informing, entertaining, etc.?

Target audience – What are the interests, and what is the age of the audience?

4.   Content and structure analysis

Themes, motifs, and symbols – Are there epithets and metaphors? If there are any ideas, are they repeated? 

Tone and language – What figures of speech were used? Is the speech emotional? Was it written in a formal style?  What about the diction and rhetoric?

Structure – What is the cause/effect of the text? Is there a chronological order? Is there a logical flow, climax, call to action, etc?

5. Examination of the creator’s perspective

Author’s life and career – This includes biometric information, biographical details, ideology, political affiliations, religion, etc.

Intention – Is there any impact by an organization/institution/sponsor?

6. Assessment of medium and genre

Medium – DOs and DON’Ts vary for texts, memes, images, audio, and videos.

Genre – Misinterpretation can be simply U-turned if you know the exact genre with its peculiarities. For example, documentaries aim at persuading, advocating, and entertaining through real-life stories, while editorials provide background and encourage readers.

7. Interconnections

Intertextuality – Is the subject a reaction/response to other media, texts, or events?

Cultural or political aspects – Is there any connection with a debate, ideology, etc?

Throwback to the past – Are there any recurring themes or parallels between the past and the ongoing present?

8. Interpretation of meaning and implications

Bringing together the observations – synthesis of findings about context and audience, which is a basis for the interpretation of the subject’s full meaning.

Impact evaluation – Does the subject have any influence on the audience?

Reflection – What can be concluded about the subject that tells one a lot about the time? What’s new and what’s the same?

9. Conclusions

What caught your attention? Was there a shocking fact? Which part stood out to you?

1. Literature and Art

Interpretation of themes, symbols, etc. in novels, plays, poems.

Contextual analysis in reading provides a bunch of opportunities for unraveling the deep and hidden meanings in works. For example, understanding the historical context in the 1930s described in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird reveals the inequality and racial injustice.

2. Media and Communications

Analysis of movies, social media posts, news, ads, etc.

It is possible to reveal bias, cultural impact, persuasion, or propaganda when analyzing the different manifestations of media and communication. Contextual analysis can help better understand the main gist, which can be humor or controversy. It is noteworthy that the same marketing campaign may record great success in one country while it can fail in another because of cultural peculiarities. Thus, effective ways of tailoring messages for different audiences should be considered.

3. Socio-historical sciences

If you’re reading or watching a speech by a political leader, you definitely need knowledge of the political and historical context which can help you better understand the main purpose of the speech, the author’s intention, and the upcoming events that are supposed to come one after another.

4. Marketing and Business

Nowadays, marketing and business are being paid more attention than they used to get. In this context, the main trends of the market and customer behavior can leave an impact on product perception. The economic status of a country/society, social norms, interests, and preferences directly impact the purchaser’s behavior. A remarkable approach that results in emotional resonance and relationships in harmony is integrating local contextual themes in your brand marketing and business. A cultural element, hero of the country, or dialect of a region will establish close ties between people residing in a specific area and the brand.

5. Education and Pedagogy

Contextual analysis is a part of a teaching program when a student is taught how to engage with media, texts, pieces of writing, etc. They learn to ask questions.

Who is the author of the text/work of literature?

When was the piece of writing written?

What was the author’s main intention?

Why did the author find it critically important to record for the coming generations?

Answering these questions means a student can give their own evaluation of the source, figure out the main impact of context on meaning, and so on.

6. Politics and Policy

A conflict in the region, a political scandal, or an economic collapse can help people better view a political statement, a policy choice, an introduction of a new strategy, etc. Everything should be viewed in the context of the given situation, which can be both domestic and international pressure.

7. UX/UI

Another useful application of contextual analysis is found in the process of figuring out the user needs, which are based on socio-economic environments. From the perspective of literacy to internet accessibility, an app designed for US users will vary a lot from an app designed for South Sudan and Somalia.

8. Link Building

Contextual analysis are essential in link building, especially when you do contextual link building. Here you should be very sensitive when you do not focus on exact match keywords. Sometimes it is not an easy thing. That is why you can rely on contextual backlinks service agency.

In conclusion, contextual analysis in reading is a very useful tool for understanding a text. It becomes an easy task for a reader to delve into layers of meaning that don’t seem apparent but have hidden meanings, and these meanings are well perceived when political, historical, cultural, and social elements are considered. Contextual analysis not only allows the readers to go beyond surface-level interpretation and find the author’s message that is concealed in the deep layers, but also fosters the reading experience and appreciates the process more than ever.