Author: Bacchi, Carol

Source: NORA: Nordic Journal of Women's Studies, Volume 13, Number 3, December 2005 , pp. 198-209(12)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

The purpose of this article is to provoke much-needed discussion on the uses by feminists, in particular feminist political scientists, of the language of discourse , discourses and discursive . The terms, it argues, have become ubiquitous, with considerable confusion about intended meanings. A particular concern is the growing tendency among some feminist political scientists to use “discourse” as shorthand for ways of talking about an issue. Critical to sorting through different meanings of discourse, it argues, is the question of subject “agency”—the extent to which subjects can use discourses or are constituted by them. As a way forward the article advances a dual-focus agenda that builds bridges across discourse traditions; identifying both the ways in which interpretive and conceptual schemas delimit understandings, and the politics involved in the intentional deployment of concepts and categories to achieve specific political goals.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08038740600600407

Affiliations: 1: School of History and Politics, University of Adelaide, Australia

Publication date: 2005-12-01

More about this publication?

• Editorial Board
• Information for Authors
• Subscribe to this Title
• ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Related content

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Families & Communities ,  Gender Studies
• By this author: Bacchi, Carol

Website © Publishing Technology. Article copyright remains with the publisher, society or author(s) as specified within the article.

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Information for advertisers