The aim in this paper is to emphasise the potential contributions of argumentation analysis to the study of social representations. To achieve this goal, first some theoretical propositions and principles of the theory of social representations are summarized. This summary involves a typology of social representations (hegemonic, polemical, emancipated representations), as well as the three approaches to the study of representations (structural, genetic and dia-logical). After setting forth some points of convergence between the dialogical approach and argumentation theory, a framework which pragma-dialectical argumentation analysis can contribute to the identification of social representations is presented. The concluding section describes some of the basic assumptions of an argumentative method through which different types of representations can be systematically, accountably, repeatably and reliably identified.