essential-guide-to-qualitative-in-organizational-research

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DISCOURSE ANALYSIS –––––––––– 205Fairclough’s approach, but also draws on the discourse analytic methods of Hollway (1989)and Mama (1995).Fairclough (1992) suggests that discourse constitutes the identity of individuals, therelationships between individuals and the ideological systems that exist in society. He refersto these as, respectively, the identity, relational and ideational functions of discourse. In order toidentify how discourse constitutes these three domains, Fairclough recommends a threedimensional analytic framework in which discourse is analysed as text, as discursive practice andas social practice.TextThis analytic level is very similar to that used in more traditional conversation and discourseanalysis. The concern is with understanding how a piece of text (either written or spoken)is constructed. The key task for the analyst is to understand what the text is trying to achieve.Is it attempting to assert, persuade, justify, accuse, defend or explain? Fairclough (1992) refersto this as the force of the text. The next task is to examine how the text achieves its aims. Whatwords and phrases are used and what propositions (statements that are treated as self-evident‘facts’) are being made?Discursive practiceDiscursive practice is the analytic level that examines the context of text production. This isa very important level of analysis as it is this which enables the analyst to infer the types ofinterpretation that might be made of the text or parts of the text. For example, the question‘Do you drink?’ is likely to be interpreted entirely differently if the question is asked by amedical doctor than if it is asked by a social science researcher. In turn, the interpretation thatis made of the question will then have quite specific consequences on the nature of the textproduced. For instance, if the question was asked by a doctor, it might account for the factthe response contains hedges (the question is not answered directly), and an attempt to defendthe behaviour (‘Only on social occasions’).Social practiceThis level of analysis is most closely related to Foucault’s ideas on discourse, discussed above.The key focus for the analyst is examining the propositions that are made in the text and theextent to which the text ‘gets away with’ using a specific proposition without beingchallenged, or anticipating being challenged. Propositions that are relatively easy to ‘get awaywith’ are probably ideological in origin. That is, they are taken from a dominant discoursethat is generally taken as ‘true’.Propositions that are challenged or which are defended in the text are examples ofhegemony, which Fairclough (1992) describes as the process through which contested viewsof reality are dealt with in order to secure ideological consent. Fairclough (1992) talks about‘hegemonic struggle’ as a situation where different ideologies compete for dominance.It is this dimension that bears most resemblance to Foucault’s view of discourse as multipleand contradictory. As already discussed, discourses provide individuals with subject positions.However, because discourse is never unitary there are always alternative positions available that