Discourse Futures and Discourse-to-Come: What Role Can Studies of Discourse and Interaction Play in Understanding and Mediating Social Change and Transformation?

    Research output: Contribution to conference without publisher/journalConference abstract for conferenceResearchpeer-review

    Abstract

    This presentation will explore three interconnected issues. First, the relationship between discourse, (inter)action and practice. Second, the assumptions about ‘the future’ that are commonly made in discourse studies. Third, the role discourse studies might play in understanding, designing, implementing and managing democratic social change and transformation, with an explicit focus on shaping a just future. Work in discourse studies will be compared and contrasted with contemporary ideas about governmentality, mobility, infrastructure, social movements, consumption practices, sociotechnical assemblages, and ‘the future’, in order to develop a prefigurative discourse studies for social change that is relevant to the turbulent twenty first century. This exploration of key issues is illustrated with three case studies: (a) reality TV parenting programmes, (b) the “Earth Hour” global media campaign to bring attention to anthropogenic climate change, and (c) the growing ‘transition town’ movement to build resilient local communities given the scenario of future global resource scarcity. Further, a sketch is attempted of the sorts of actions, practices and discourses that may be desirable for us to profile in future research. This includes mapping the mediated discourses and social interactional encounters interleaved with the ever changing practices and powers of, for example, control, freedom, access, mobility, cleanliness, comfort, convenience, consumption, waste, recycling and reuse. The presentation concludes with a reflection on the promise of a ‘discourse–to-come', a promise that is both an injunction and yet unfulfillable.
    Original languageEnglish
    Publication date18 Nov 2010
    Number of pages1
    Publication statusPublished - 18 Nov 2010
    EventNORDISCO 2016: The 4th Nordic Interdisciplinary Conference on Discourse and Interaction - University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
    Duration: 23 Nov 201625 Nov 2016
    Conference number: 4
    http://www.hf.uio.no/iln/english/research/news-and-events/events/conferences/2016/nordisco/
    http://www.hf.uio.no/iln/english/research/news-and-events/events/conferences/2016/nordisco/

    Conference

    ConferenceNORDISCO 2016
    Number4
    LocationUniversity of Oslo
    Country/TerritoryNorway
    CityOslo
    Period23/11/201625/11/2016
    Otherhttp://diskurs.hum.aau.dk/nordisco2010/
    Internet address

    Keywords

    • discourse
    • Social change
    • Transition culture
    • Prefiguration

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    • NORDISCO 2016

      Paul McIlvenny (Organizer)

      17 Nov 201019 Nov 2010

      Activity: Attending an eventConference organisation or participation

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