Reclaiming discursive practices as an analytic focus: Political implications
This paper has its genesis in concerns about the return to “the real” in social and political theory and analysis. This trend is linked to a reaction against the “linguistic turn”, on the grounds that an exclusive focus on language undercuts political analysis by refusing to engage with “material r...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
CBS Open Journals
2014-04-01
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| Series: | Foucault Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://192.168.7.24:443/index.php/foucault-studies/article/view/4298 |
| _version_ | 1797281363227836416 |
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| author | Carol Bacchi Jennifer Bonham |
| author_facet | Carol Bacchi Jennifer Bonham |
| author_sort | Carol Bacchi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper has its genesis in concerns about the return to “the real” in social and political theory and analysis. This trend is linked to a reaction against the “linguistic turn”, on the grounds that an exclusive focus on language undercuts political analysis by refusing to engage with “material reality”. Foucault and “discourse” are common targets of this critique. Against this interpretation, the authors direct attention to the analytic and political usefulness of Foucault’s concept of “discursive practices”, which, it argues, has been much misunderstood. Discursive practices, as developed by Foucault, refers to the practices (or operations) of discourses, meaning knowledge formations, not to linguistic practices or language use. The focus is on how knowledge is produced through plural and contingent practices across different sites. Such an approach bridges a symbolic-material distinction and signals the always political nature of “the real”. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T16:56:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e6f5339f2a5e4c6d84cfda0347d2700e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1832-5203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T16:56:32Z |
| publishDate | 2014-04-01 |
| publisher | CBS Open Journals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foucault Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-e6f5339f2a5e4c6d84cfda0347d2700e2024-03-03T04:19:00ZengCBS Open JournalsFoucault Studies1832-52032014-04-011710.22439/fs.v0i17.4298Reclaiming discursive practices as an analytic focus: Political implicationsCarol Bacchi0Jennifer Bonham1University of AdelaideUniversity of AdelaideThis paper has its genesis in concerns about the return to “the real” in social and political theory and analysis. This trend is linked to a reaction against the “linguistic turn”, on the grounds that an exclusive focus on language undercuts political analysis by refusing to engage with “material reality”. Foucault and “discourse” are common targets of this critique. Against this interpretation, the authors direct attention to the analytic and political usefulness of Foucault’s concept of “discursive practices”, which, it argues, has been much misunderstood. Discursive practices, as developed by Foucault, refers to the practices (or operations) of discourses, meaning knowledge formations, not to linguistic practices or language use. The focus is on how knowledge is produced through plural and contingent practices across different sites. Such an approach bridges a symbolic-material distinction and signals the always political nature of “the real”.https://192.168.7.24:443/index.php/foucault-studies/article/view/4298Foucaultpracticesknowledgepoliticsmaterialityontology |
| spellingShingle | Carol Bacchi Jennifer Bonham Reclaiming discursive practices as an analytic focus: Political implications Foucault Studies Foucault practices knowledge politics materiality ontology |
| title | Reclaiming discursive practices as an analytic focus: Political implications |
| title_full | Reclaiming discursive practices as an analytic focus: Political implications |
| title_fullStr | Reclaiming discursive practices as an analytic focus: Political implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reclaiming discursive practices as an analytic focus: Political implications |
| title_short | Reclaiming discursive practices as an analytic focus: Political implications |
| title_sort | reclaiming discursive practices as an analytic focus political implications |
| topic | Foucault practices knowledge politics materiality ontology |
| url | https://192.168.7.24:443/index.php/foucault-studies/article/view/4298 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT carolbacchi reclaimingdiscursivepracticesasananalyticfocuspoliticalimplications AT jenniferbonham reclaimingdiscursivepracticesasananalyticfocuspoliticalimplications |