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The Role and Necessity of Discourse

Becca Godfrey-Poe & Meg E. Lockard

According to social theorist, Michel Foucault, discourse is defined as "ways of constituting

knowledge, together with the social practices, forms of subjectivity and power relations which inhere
in such knowledges and relations between them. Discourses are more than ways of thinking and
producing meaning. They constitute the 'nature' of the body, unconscious and conscious mind and
emotional life of the subjects they seek to govern" (Weedon, 1987, p. 108). Simultaneously,
discourse is also "a form of power that circulates in the social field and can attach to strategies of
domination as well as those of resistance" (Diamond and Quinby, 1988, p. 185).
In a related vein, Paulo Freire (2005) approaches discourse from a humanist perspective in
order to solve humankinds central problem"--that of dehumanization (p. 43). And to do that, the
author believes that dialogue, as the encounter among men to name the world, is a fundamental
precondition for [humankinds] true humanization (Freire, 2005, p. 137). Based on the above
definitions, it becomes clear that discourse is looked upon as a tool of oppression but also
revolution. Put simply, language is not merely a [sic] instrument in the hands of power, but also
always a counter-power which cannot be restricted and repressed (WeiB & Schwietring, 2014, para.
9). This intersection of discourse and power is the struggle for emancipation, for freedom from
oppression, from inequality. We call this emancipatory discourse, and it can be defined as
"conversations in which 'distorting tendencies' have been removed, primarily by giving all
participants equal opportunity to speak, question, argue, respond, etc." (Hirschheim & Klein, 1994,
pp. 8990).

So what? What does discourse have to do with alternatively formatted PhD projects? Well,
if we were to amend the way students think about their PhD research and allow for alternative
dissertation formats, we could transform the dissertation itself from a rite of passage or a hurdle into
a public form of discourse that has the potential to precipitate equity. Discourse guru Jan
Blommaert (2005) concludes his book Discourse: A Critical Introduction on a note that rings true to our
argument. We do have something to contribute to other fields of scholarship, writes Blommaert,
but we need to incorporate change into our own repertoires of scholarly practice (p. 238). And he
adds a final jab in the name of social justice that is too awesome not to quote: A refusal to [change]
will result in more and more things that fall in between the disciplines . . . [and] in analyses of little
consequence to other scholars, let alone to the people we hope to serve by them [emphasis added] (p.
238). Scholarship must be a way to better the world in which we live. It is not enough to argue and
research a point if that point will never reach those who need it most. Discourse analysis, argues
Blommaert, must be a more comprehensive study of history, place, society, and positionality. And
that means that we as scholars must reconsider old patterns of communication in light of theories
that stress interconnectedness [and] global structures of inequality (Blommaert, 2005, p. 235). This
theory holds true for the dissertation monograph, which falls under those age-old assumptions but
which could instead be a powerful discursive ally to social justice (p. 233).
Given these definitions and ideas regarding emancipatory discourse and power, we would
argue that PhD candidates are best able to share knowledge and offer solutions and ideas to the
world when:

they are free to think and produce in ways which are from their own nature.

they are not denied the opportunity to create, speak, question, argue, and respond to that
which they see needs addressing.

they are free to circulate knowledge and power to the greater social field.

they are encouraged to use their research as hegemony-disrupting discourse.

References
Blommaert, J. (2005). Discourse: A critical introduction. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Diamond I., & Quinby, L. (1988). Feminism and Foucault: Reflections on resistance. Boston, MA:
Northeastern.
Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.) New York, NY: The Continuum
International Publishing Group, Inc. (original work published in 1970).
Hirschheim, R. and Klein, H. (1994, March). Realizing emancipatory principles in information
systems development: The case for ETHICS. MIS Quarterly , 18 (1), 83-109.
Weedon, C. (1987) Feminist practice and post-structuralist theory. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
WeiB, J., & Schwietring, T. (2014). The power of language: A philosophical-sociological reflection. Retrieved
from http://www.goethe.de/lhr/prj/mac/msp/en1253450.htm