Description
Book Synopsis* What do we mean by discourse?
* What are the different conceptions of discourse and methods of discourse analysis in the contemporary social sciences?
* How can this concept help to clarify key theoretical problems and illuminate empirical cases?
The concept of discourse provokes considerable debate and is understood in a variety of ways in the contemporary social sciences. This text presents a comprehensive overview of the different conceptions and methods of discourse analysis, while setting out the traditions of thinking in which these conceptions have emerged. It surveys structuralist, post-structuralist and post-Marxist theory, and the author sets out a fresh approach to discourse analysis, drawing principally on the writings of Saussure, Levi-Strauss, Gramsci, Althusser, Foucault, Derrida, Laclau and Mouffe. He evaluates a number of pertinent criticisms of this approach, and explores ways in which discourse analysis can assist our understanding of identity formatio
Trade Review"Howarth's comprehensive yet user-friendly introduction not only sharply sketches the basic aspects of the concept of discourse, but also subjects various discourse approaches to a methodical reflection that proposes new possibilities for research." - Jan MatonohaTable of ContentsSeries editor's foreword
Preface and acknowledgements
Introduction
defining the concept of discourse
Saussure, structuralism and symbolic systems
Post-structuralism, deconstruction and textuality
Foucault's archaeology of discursive practices
Genealogy, power/knowledge and problematization
The limits of ideology in Marxist theory
Laclau and Mouffe's theory of discourse
Deploying discourse theory
Further reading
Bibliography
Index.
