Discourse analysis

Abstract

Discourse analysis explores the use of language to understand the ways in which power operates in the context of social, political and ideological practices. Discourses are regarded as systems of sense making, which people use to comprehend and represent the social worlds they experience. The specific discourses available to people are contingent upon a range of factors, which vary over time and place. As such, there is a need for discourse analysts to pay particular attention to the ‘when’ and the ‘where’ of specific systems of sense making. By tracking changes in these specific systems, across and within time and places, discourse analysis can illuminate changes in the ways in which power operates within and across societies. This is because the discourses available to describe social, political and ideological practices tend to be determined by powerful social actors, (see for example the dominance of the medical model in explaining issues of health and illness). Discourse analysis provides a lens for making sense of how particular discourses come to dominate, and also provides opportunities for insights on how those dominant discourses might be challenged and resisted.

Cite this paper

@incollection{speed2023discourse,
  title = {{Discourse analysis}},
  author = {Speed, Ewen},
  booktitle = {Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks},
  pages = {98--102},
  year = {2023},
  doi = {10.4337/9781800885691.ch18}
}

Made from the index record. Check names, capitalisation and page numbers against the paper. Need another style? AI for Research has over 10,000.

Related papers