1. Advanced Methods of Interpretation
Lecture XI
Discourse Analysis II
Dr. Werner Binder
Masaryk University, Brno
Faculty of Social Studies
Department of Sociology
Advanced Methods of Interpretation
in Cultural Sociology (soc 575)
Spring 2016

2. Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Summary of Lecture XI
Discourse: Beyond langue, speaking (and thinking) as a culturally structured social fact
Foucault: Discourse analysis beyond structuralism and hermeneutics, critical of meaning and depth
(Post-)Structuralism: Political antagonism and Durkheimian binaries, discourse as articulation and performance (Laclau & Mouffe, Alexander & Smith)
Root metaphors as deep structures of thinking and speaking (Lakoff)

3. Discourse and Metaphor
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Discourse and Metaphor
Metaphor as a non-arbitrary, iconic, linguistic sign
Metaphors are grounded in experience (Lakoff & Johnson), but also shaped by culture
Metaphors can be read as indicators and documents of a deep meaning structure (Bohnsack)
Metaphors can be conceptualized as background representations and deep structures that organize discourses and practices (Lakoff & Johnson)

4. Lakoff: Political Discourse
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Lakoff: Political Discourse
and Metaphor
Thesis I: The American political discourse is based (unity) on the metaphor of the nation as family
Thesis II: The polarization of the American political (difference) discourse can be explained by the different conceptions of family between conservatives and liberals
Lakoff, George (1996/2002): Moral Politics

5. Family as Metaphor of the Nation
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Family as Metaphor of the Nation
Family
State/Nation
Parents
Government
Children
Citizens
Family Morality
Moral Politics
According to Lakoff, conservatism and liberalism differ in their understanding of family and – as a result – in their political views.

6. Liberalism und Conservatism I
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Liberalism und Conservatism I
Family Model
Conservatism
Liberalism
Family morality
Strict father morality
Nurturing parent morality
Education
Authority
Dialogue
Explanation of Action
Individual character
Social forces
Attribution of Responsibility
Individual responsibility
Social responsibility
State conception
Minimal state
Welfare state

7. Liberalism und Conservatism II
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Liberalism und Conservatism II
Moral Politics
Conservatism
Liberalism
Polluted symbol
“big government”
“corporate power”
Government spending
Military, police
Social welfare, health care
Institution
Army
University
Fairness
Non-interference
Affirmative action
Abortion
“Pro Life”
“Pro Choice”
Crime
Punishment
Prevention

8. The Strong Program in Cultural Sociology and Discourse Analysis
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
The Strong Program in Cultural Sociology and Discourse Analysis
Binary codes and collective representations as cultural structures
Discourse and narrative: making codes and representations fit to empirical reality
Discourse and icons: visualizing codes and collective representations
Discourse and performance: putting code and collective representations into action

9. A Model of Genre Faculty of Social Studies Smith 2005: 24
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
A Model of Genre
Smith 2005: 24

10. Narrating Global Warming
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Narrating Global Warming
Till the late 80s: little awareness, low-mimesis narratives of global warming dominate
1990s and 2000s: rise of the apocalyptic genre with Kyoto (1997) and An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
Apocalypse contested: ambiguity of scientific data, scandals like Climategate (2009)
Copenhagen 2009: genre hyperinflation and climate conference failure → danger of resignation and passivity, necessity to deflate the apocalyptic genre

11. Performance Philosophy and linguistics (Austin, Searle)
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Performance
Philosophy and linguistics (Austin, Searle)
Dramatological approach to everyday life (Goffman)
Theatre and performance studies (Turner, Schechner)
Social Performance (Alexander et al.)

12. Austin: Performatives
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Austin: Performatives
How to Do Things with Words (1962):
Constative vs. performative speech acts
“to say something is to do something” (p.13)
Declaring, apologizing, naming, betting
Performatives cannot be true or false, only felicitous or infelicitous
Locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary act

13. Derrida: A Cultural Critique of Austin
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Derrida: A Cultural Critique of Austin
Performatives do not work as singular acts, but only as citations from a cultural text (not by virtue of parole, but of langue, a socially shared repertoire of performatives)
The illocutionary power of performatives depends on the social context, which cannot be separated from the performance itself (e.g. apologies on a theatre stage)
The illocutionary force of performatives is not independent of their perlocutionary success (e.g. the most sincere apology fails, if it is not believed)

14. Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Goffman: Performance
The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life (1959):
Making an impression on an audience
Elements of performance: Front stage, back stage, setting, appearance, manners
Performances in everyday life rely on an embodied, implicit knowledge → “we all act better than we know”
Interaction Rituals (2005) work according to the sacred/profane binary → sacred “image” of the self

15. Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Turner: Social Drama
Social drama as “spontaneous” and “universal” social process that follows an dramatic/narrative structure:
Breach → public transgression of norms
Crisis → performative and interpretative conflict over the meaning of the transgression
Redress → attempts to overcome the crisis (often ritual or legal performances)
Re-integration or recognition of the schism

16. Social Drama: Audience and Actors
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Social Drama: Audience and Actors
The social drama is an open-ended process that depends on the contingent success of performances
The audience of the social drama is mostly engaged in the conflict and divided into competing “star groups”
The protagonists of the social drama are social stars that represent the norms and values of their star group
The conflict is decided by the group who’s stars can successfully claim to represent the whole society, it’s values and norms

17. Schechner & Turner: Mimetic Loop
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Schechner & Turner: Mimetic Loop
Mimetic relationship between the (liminal) performances of the social drama and the (liminoid) performances of stage dramas → shared cultural background of symbols and scripts
Turner 1980: 73

18. Alexander: Social Performance
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Alexander: Social Performance
The cultural pragmatics of Alexander (2006, 2012):
A performance draws upon background representations and foreground scripts in order to achieve fusion with the audience
A successful social performance appears to be “natural” and “authentic”
However, it seems that the theory is performer-biased, whereas the audience is rather passive

19. Elements of Social Performance
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Elements of Social Performance

20. Failed and Successful Performances
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Failed and Successful Performances

21. A Critique of Social Performance
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
A Critique of Social Performance
Alexander’s theory neglects the crucial role of the audience in the process of meaning-making
Alexander operates with the distinction between cohesive and fragmented audiences as a mere product of social performances
While acknowledging that audiences can be either homogenous or divided (with regard to their background representations), he doesn’t really use this distinction in his empirical works

22. Discourse and Performance
Masaryk University
Faculty of Social Studies
Discourse and Performance
Discursive practice is a matter of speech acts → Who is speaking or writing? And in what context?
Discursive practice is a matter of performance → How is a discursive statement articulated? What kind of meanings are conveyed by the message?
Discourses shape the interpretation of performances (social power)
Discourses can be interpreted as indicators of successful performances (cultural resonance)

23. Thank you for your attention, criticism and further suggestions!