Knowledge-sociological discourse analysis

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The knowledge-sociological discourse analysis (WDA) is a perspective of sociological discourse research developed by the sociologist Reiner Keller for the analysis of societal knowledge relationships and knowledge politics . The WDA has its starting point in the sociology of knowledge by Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann , who in their book " The Social Construction of Reality " , which they wrote together in the mid-1960s, examine the processes of social construction of everyday knowledge that is accessible to everyone , with which they unite in Germany exerted a great influence on the development of the hermeneutical sociology of knowledge . Keller combines this approach with the discourse theory of the French philosopher and historian Michel Foucault , whose work is largely responsible for the prominence of the term discourse in the social sciences today and which inspired numerous discourse-analytical approaches in other scientific disciplines. By combining both theoretical traditions, the WDA represents an extensive research program for the analysis of social practices and processes of communicative construction , transformation and stabilization of symbolic orders, including their consequences on both an individual and an institutional level. As a comprehensive analysis perspective, the WDA is now widely received and also applied in scientific disciplines that go beyond the narrower field of social sciences (e.g. in archeology , Japanese studies , criminology or in linguistics ). Numerous empirical studies have emerged on the basis of the knowledge-sociological discourse analysis in recent years. Under the name 'Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse (SKAD)', the WDA is also gaining increasing attention in English-speaking countries.

Theoretical foundations of knowledge-sociological discourse analysis

Reiner Keller regards the knowledge-sociological discourse analysis as a research perspective that mediates between the fundamental assumptions of the hermeneutical sociology of knowledge, which is in the tradition of Berger / Luckmann, and the discourse-theoretical considerations of Michel Foucault, in order to enable a sociological analysis of knowledge processes above the level of social actors . Keller's central argument here is that the theoretical approaches brought together in the WDA complement each other: While the (German-language) sociology of knowledge has for a long time been primarily concerned with analyzes of the genesis, distribution and institutionalization of knowledge on the social micro-level and the macrosocial contexts of these processes lost sight, Michel Foucault's work on discourse theory provides indications of the institutional mechanisms of knowledge production and knowledge circulation without, however, consistently reflecting on the constitutive role of social actors.

"Orientation towards Foucault [...] can therefore help to correct the microsociological-situational bias of the interpretive paradigm and to adopt a broader analytical perspective that takes social and historical contexts into account"

Mediation potential between the two approaches can be found particularly in the tradition of symbolic interactionism , in whose knowledge-sociological and discourse-theoretical career studies, however, according to Keller, the relationship between the two strands of theory is not consistently developed. The WDA thus offers the possibility of reconstructing and analyzing different dimensions of societal knowledge processes. This makes it possible to examine the various fields of meaning production and action practices, including their social consequences, and to examine their respective institutional and material contexts. According to Keller, the anchoring of Foucault's discourse concept in the sociology of knowledge has two advantages: On the one hand, it opens up new perspectives and subject areas for the hermeneutic sociology of knowledge. On the other hand, the connection to the methods developed in the interpretative paradigm provides access to qualitative social research for discourse research .

From the perspective of the knowledge-sociological discourse analysis it can be analyzed, for example, how knowledge about “environmental awareness” is produced in public discourses (e.g. media) and in special discourses (e.g. in certain sciences) and what consequences this has for societal issues Has actors who see themselves as "environmentally conscious" individuals. The knowledge-sociological discourse analysis assumes that the truths generated discursively ("environmental awareness") by no means have a completely determining effect on the ("environmentally conscious") individuals, rather the subjects appropriately approach and approach the truths brought to them more or less obstinately creatively and also with resistance to the discursive specifications, which not least also has repercussions on the discursive level.

Research practice

With the anchoring of the sociological knowledge discourse analysis in qualitative social research, it is possible to use the broad and proven arsenal of empirical research methods in order to obtain reliable knowledge about the respective objects of investigation. Another advantage of the conception of the WDA as a research program is that it does not have to follow a rigid or dogmatic system of theoretical specifications, but rather it is possible to make modifications and expansions in line with one's own research questions . This certainly explains the attractiveness and the use of the research program for very different objects of investigation - the spectrum ranges from research on gender dispositifs in schools (Jäckle 2008) to the investigation of ' Satanism ' (Schmied-Knittel , based on social science problem research ) (Schmied-Knittel 2008) and the analysis of the cultural embedding of interpretation patterns of social movements ( Ullrich 2008, 2013) up to conversational analysis inspired analyzes of application discourses and interviews (Truschkat 2008).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See above all Reiner Keller: Wissenssociologische Diskursanalyse. Foundation of a research program. 3. Edition. Wiesbaden 2011a
  2. ↑ Peter L. Berger / Thomas Luckmann: The social construction of reality. A theory of the sociology of knowledge. Frankfurt a. Main 1980
  3. ↑ cf. Reiner Keller: Discourse Research. An introduction for social scientists. 4th edition Wiesbaden 2011b, p. 59f.
  4. ↑ Reiner Keller: The Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse (SKAD), in: Human Studies 34 (1), 2011c, pp. 43–65
  5. ↑ Reiner Keller 2011b, p. 60.
  6. ↑ Reiner Keller 2011a, p. 13
  7. ↑ See ibid.:, P. 60.

literature

  • Peter L. Berger , Thomas Luckmann : The social construction of reality. A theory of the sociology of knowledge. Frankfurt am Main 1980.
  • Michel Foucault : The order of things. An archeology of the human sciences. Frankfurt am Main 1974.
  • Michel Foucault: Archeology of Knowledge. Frankfurt am Main 1981.
  • Reiner Keller : Knowledge-sociological discourse analysis as interpretative analysis. In: Reiner Keller u. a. (Ed.): The discursive construction of reality. On the relationship between the sociology of knowledge and discourse research. Konstanz 2005, pp. 49-75
  • Reiner Keller: Analyzing discourses and dispositives. The knowledge-sociological discourse analysis as a contribution to a knowledge-analytical profiling of discourse research. In: Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung 8 (2) , Art. 19 [46 paragraphs] 2007.
  • Reiner Keller u. a. (Ed.): Handbook of Social Science Discourse Analysis. Volume 2: Research Practice. 4th edition. Wiesbaden 2010.
  • Reiner Keller: Knowledge-sociological discourse analysis. Foundation of a research program. 3. Edition. Wiesbaden 2011a.
  • Reiner Keller: Discourse Research. An introduction for social scientists. 4th edition. Wiesbaden 2011b.
  • Reiner Keller: Knowledge-sociological discourse analysis. In: Reiner Keller u. a. (Ed.): Handbook of Social Science Discourse Analysis. Volume 1: Theories and Methods. 3rd, expanded edition. Wiesbaden 2011d, pp. 125–158.

Applications of the WDA (selection)

  • Sebastian Bechmann: Health Semantics of the Modern Age. A discourse analysis of the health insurance reform debates. Berlin 2007.
  • Claudia Brunner: Knowledge object suicide bombing. Epistemic Violence and Occidentalist Self-Assurance in Terrorism Research. Wiesbaden 2011.
  • Gabriele Christmann: Dresden's splendor, the pride of Dresdeners. Local communication, urban culture and urban identity. Wiesbaden 2011.
  • Monika Jäckle: School as a gender dispositive. An examination of school and gender from a discourse theoretical perspective. Wiesbaden 2008.
  • Reiner Keller: Garbage - The social construction of the valuable. The public discussion about waste in Germany and France. 2nd edition Wiesbaden 2009.
  • Ina Schmied-Knittel: Satanism and ritual abuse - a knowledge-sociological discourse analysis. Wuerzburg 2008.
  • Inga Truschkat: Competence discourses and job interviews. A dispositive analysis of (new) rationalities of social differentiation. Wiesbaden 2008.
  • Anne-Christine Kunstmann: Family ties and justice. Lack of Perspectives on Caring for Relatives-A Discourse Analysis. Wiesbaden 2010.
  • Peter Ullrich : The Left, Israel and Palestine. Middle East Discourses in Great Britain and Germany. Berlin 2008.
  • Peter Ullrich: Germans, Leftists and the Middle East Conflict. Politics in the Anti-Semitism and Remembrance Discourse, Göttingen 2013.
  • Rixta Wundrak: The Chinese community in Bucharest. A reconstructive, discourse-analytical case study on immigration and transnationalism. Wiesbaden 2010.
  • Christina Zimmermann: Family as a field of conflict in the American culture war. A discourse analysis. Wiesbaden 2009.

Web links