Representing Discourse Studies: The unequal actors of an international and multidisciplinary field

Angermuller, Johannes (2024). Representing Discourse Studies: The unequal actors of an international and multidisciplinary field. In: Xu, Shi ed. The Routledge Handbook of Cultural Discourse Studies. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003207245-4

Abstract

Discourse studies is still a new field that lacks established representations of itself. Textbooks, readers and overviews of the field mostly focus on concepts, theories, currents and references. Yet they often fail to reflect on how ideas are made legitimate, dominant and “true” in the discourse of discourse studies itself. Against this background, the chapter proposes an empirical account that perceives discourse studies as a population of unequal actors. Methodological perspectives from social research are used in order to capture both the over- and the under-cited actors constituting the field. The first part approaches discourse studies as a field of knowledge, with a focus on canonised European traditions and their limitations. The second part discusses discourse studies as a field of power. From an actor-centred point of view, it captures the unequal relationships and the boundaries that characterise the field. Based on surveys with over 1000 discourse analysts and a citation analysis of the most senior academics in the field, the field is projected as a space of communication with few visible centres and a large and often invisible periphery.

Viewing alternatives

Metrics

Item Actions

Export

You can export this page using these formats Digital Object Identifier - DOI