Discourse AnalysisGEOG 5161: Research Design

Lindsay Skog

February 21, 2011

What is discourse?

Conventional definition: Related groupings of writing and speech (Waitt 2005)

Constructivist approach: Structures of language, shaping behavior and thought, not as expressions of an essential ‘real’, but as constitutive of it. (Waitt 2005)

What is discourse analysis? Hermeneutical approach using content analysis,

semiology, and iconography to explore texts and statements as expressions of reality (Lees 2004) Analysis of textual content revealing the hegemonic

arguments

Foucauldian Discourse Analysis Discourse is constructive of objects rather than a reflection of

them (Lees 2004) Texts are not meaningful in and of themselves, they are

situated in relation to other texts (Waitt 2005). Textual analysis largely ignores the social setting of the text.

(Shurmer-Smith 2002)

In practice, these two are combined (Lees 2004)

What is Foucauldian discourse analysis?Moves beyond analysis of texts ands statements to understand their effects on actions, perceptions, and attitudes (Waitt 2005)

Uncovers the “regulatory frameworks within which groups of statements are produced, circulated, and communicated” (Waitt 2005,165)

Reveals the support maintaining those regulatory frameworks and presenting groups of statements as ‘truth’ (Waitt 2005)

Multiple structures working simultaneously (Shurmer-Smith 2002)

Foucauldian concepts Episteme: the ways in which discourse operates to

limit what may be studied and in what ways, as well as what counts as knowledge

Archaeology: the conditions allowing for certain practices to come into existence

Genealogy: subjects are not fixed, identity performance is influenced by many discursive constructs. Identity is always negotiated and influences our understanding of the world (Waitt 2005)

Power: circulating everywhere and in constant negotiation

Regime of truth: the power structure that allows for a hegemonic discourse

Power/knowledge (Foucault 1978)

Doing discourse analysis Sources: Interviews, archival material,

newspapers, visual materials, observation

Understand the positionality of the author, the intended audience, and the circumstances under which the text was produced (Waitt 2005)

Two objectives (Lees 2004) Situate the discourse in its social setting Analysis the rhetoric of the discourse

Doing discourse analysis (cont.) With practice discourse analysis becomes

intuitive. The process is left implicit, rather than being made explicit (Waitt 2005)

Seven steps—just a guide (Waitt 2005, citing Rose 2001) Think outside pre-existing coding categories Become thoroughly familiar with the text Code with an eye toward the ways in which the

author/producer is situated in a particular discursive framework

How is this text presenting ‘truth’? Inconsistencies? In what ways is the text silencing? Pay attention to details

When is Foucauldian discourse analysis appropriate? Best used to understand the effects of

discourse and power/knowledge structures that shape ‘truths’ about human-environment relationships and inform social justice; investigating “moral and political questions about contemporary societies” (Waitt 2005, 188)

Discourse analysis should be the first step in action research, rather than an end point (Lees 2004)

Strengths and WeaknessesWaitt (2005) identifies the strength in this analysis as its ability to reveal the power relationships informing thoughts and actions.

While Foucault gave us a strong theoretical framework for discourse analysis, he did not provide a methodological framework Methodology is not explicit and therefore more

difficult to follow

Examples World Bank-style development (Goldman

2005) Beijing’s Olympic Bid (Haugen 2005) Beyul

References Foucault, Michel. 1978. The history of sexuality: Volume 1:

An introduction. New York: Vintage Books. Goldman, Michael. 2005. Imperial nature. New Haven and

London: Yale University Press. Haugen, Heidi Ø. 2005. Time and space in Beijing's Olympic

bid. Norwegian journal of geography 59 (3):217-227.   Lees, Loretta. 2004. Urban geography: discourse analysis

and urban research. Progress in Human Geography 28 (1):101-107.  

Shurmer-Smith, Pamela. 2002. Doing cultural geography. London: Sage.

Waitt, Gordon. 2005. Doing discourse analysis. In Qualitative research methods in human geography, ed. I. Hay, 163-191. Oxford: Oxford University Press.