DISCOURSE (Concepts in the Social Sciences) - Hardcover

HOWARTH DAVID

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0335200710 ISBN 13: 9780335200719

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education, 2000

Synopsis

The concept of discourse provokes considerable debate and is understood in a variety of ways in the contemporary social sciences. This text presents a comprehensive overview of the different conceptions and methods of discourse analysis, while setting out the traditions of thinking in which these conceptions have emerged. It surveys structuralist, post-structuralist and post-Marxist theory, and the author sets out a fresh approach to discourse analysis, drawing principally on the writings of Saussure, Levi-Strauss, Gramsci, Althusser, Foucault, Derrida, Laclau and Mouffe. He evaluates a number of pertinent criticisms of this approach, and explores ways in which discourse analysis can assist our understanding of identity formation, hegemony, and the relationship between structure and agency.

About this title

Review

"Howarth's comprehensive yet user-friendly introduction not only sharply sketches the basic aspects of the concept of discourse, but also subjects various discourse approaches to a methodical reflection that proposes new possibilities for research." - Jan Matonoha (2003-06-03)

About the Author

Dr David Howarth is a lecturer in Political Theory in the Department of Government at the University of Essex, where he is currently Director of the Masters Programme in Ideology and Discourse Analysis. He recently co-edited South Africa in Transition: New Theoretical Perspectives (1998) and Discourse Theory and Political Analysis (2000). He has published numerous articles and chapters on discourse theory, post-Marxist political theory and its application to empirical cases, most notably South African politics and new environmental movements.

Edition details

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0335200710
• ISBN 13: 9780335200719
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 176