Definitions HQ

Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a form of power that circulates in the social field and can attach to strategies of domination as well as to those of resistance.

Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a practice of exclusion that includes but is not limited to language. The purpose of discourse, according to foucault, is to establish a will to a specific truth'.

A Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a system of formal statements about the world.

A Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a system of knowledge such as economics, medicine, grammar, and biology that make true or false statements possible.

A Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a system of thoughts composed of ideas, attitudes, courses of action, beliefs and practices that systematically construct the subjects and the worlds of which they speak.

A Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠all of the messy rule-making and improvising (in institutions like madness or punishment or sexuality) that we try to inspect from a position outside of the discourse.

The Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠all of this messy rule-making and improvising that we try to inspect from a position outside of the discourse. We can see a doctor neglecting fact a to support fact b, we can see doctor x and doctor y contradicting each other. The discourse is the regularity of dispersal of this conversation, which we might understand by saying 'discourse is the fact that, regardless of whether we believe or not, we know what the other person is saying.'.

A Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠all the improvising and messy rule-making and breaking which have gone into some accepted institution (such as madness, punishment, etc) which seems, at first blush, to be immanently natural.

A Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠all the messy rule-making and improvising we inspect from a position outside the discourse.

A Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠defined in terms of statements (enonces) of things said.

Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠dependent upon, yet feeds back and influences, discursive practices.

A Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not 'an innocent intersection of words and things. Each discourse (such as the technical language used in an academic discipline) shapes the way we experience the world. The conventions of a discourse specify the objects it talks or writes about by giving them names such as madness or witchcraft. Discourse defines the topics that are worth discussing and, most important, who can speak on them with authority.

A Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not a group of signs, but practices that form the objects of which they speak.

A Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not a group of signs, but the practices that systematically form the object of which it speaks.

Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not the description of what actors are doing, rather, it 'is' what actors are doing. A discourse cannot be reconstructed. Rather, the aim of archaeological analysis is to expose the kinds of choices that are made that serve to link discontinuities in a regularity.

Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not the gradual external expression of internal deep meaning... rather it reveals its own rules of systematic change.

Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not the gradual external expression of internal deep meaning... rather it reveals its own rules of systematic change'.

Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not the majestically unfolding manifestation of a thinking, knowing, speaking subject, but, on the contrary, a totality, in which the dispersion of the subject and his discontinuity with himself may be determined. It is a space of exteriority in which a network of distinct sites is deployed.

Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠nothing other than vehicles of power... a discourse is a loose structure of interconnected assumptions, cultural artifacts, social practices and the like that makes knowledge possible.

Discourse (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not originally a thing, a product, or a possession. In the 19th century it was an action, a transgressive action charged with risk and situated in a bipolar field of sacred and profane, lawful and unlawful, religious and blasphemous.