This is a summary of a lecture on the relationship between discourse and power relations. It includes a brief on Hall's essay "The West and The Rest: Discourse and Power".
What is discourse? – a set of statements that construes all knowledge about a specific topic;
statements aren't inherently differentiated by true/false dichotomy – the outcome decides their
validity.
• a way of representing knowledge, imposing a perspective
• interlinking a set of ideas which creates truth
• ideology - fact vs. false statement; discourse – fact is fiction
How is power involved? – power constitutes knowledge as it decides/shapes which statements
make it into discourse & which don't; power makes statements "true".
• subject & subjected
• misconstrued – isn't factual or wholly overbearing, but instead still constricts a specific
view; science is ideology
Construction of discourse & power – Trevor-Roper:
• Absence of non-European history in favour of European; "the history of the world, [...]
in so far as it has significance, has been European history"
• Proposes that if all history is equal, there's no need to hold one pattern over another,
especially that abandoning own history in favour of a less "productive" one would be
academically unrewarding
• Power shaping historical discourse where it decides which themes are prioritised;
dominance of European powers seen as above others; little research into non-European
history constitutes its lack, which is used in turn to pateisinti? why there's no need to study
• Perception of West as inherently more progressive
Construction of discourse & power in digital culture:
• Wanzo – neglecting race in fandom studies: does not fit conveniently with fan studies,
often encountered excuses of there not being enough material; misunderstood
perceptions – antifandom which is knowledgeable dislike of the text, is a certain kind of
participation which promotes circulation of positive black images
• Issues with participatory culture: unclear who gets to participate – undiscussed
racial/gender/class barriers to participation; exploitation of free labour masked as
freedom of expression
Stuart Hall, The West and the Rest: Discourse and Power
à Concept of "the West"
1. Basis of concept
o In age of exploration, West was "central" – quickest route to the East. The term
emerged in Europe, but its contemporary use isn't geographically clear.
o Therefore, "the West" is a historical concept, denoting a society "that is
developed, industrialized, urbanized, capitalist, secular, and modern", emerged
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