Discourse produces knowledge that shapes perceptions and enacts power

Evidence

A discourse is a way of talking about or representing something. It produces knowledge that shapes perceptions and practice. It is part of the way in which power operates. Therefore, it has consequences for both those who employ it and those who are “subjected” to it. — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 687

Categorization

• DEFINE: Compact working definition of discourse — knowledge-producing, practice-shaping, power-bearing — that transfers directly into Islamophobia analysis.
• XREF: Connects to Foucault’s discourse/power-knowledge, and forward to Said’s Orientalism as a system of representation. — connects to: Positivist truths are linguistic illusions grown canonical through use; Discourse constrains what can be thought about the Other; Knowledge created from a position of strength produces the object it claims to describe (+28 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 687

Broader Connections

• Knowledge produced by discourse subjects those who are known to power #expands (0.95)
• A discourse both enables and constrains how a topic can be constructed #expands (0.95)
• Power and knowledge mutually constitute and imply one another #corroborates (0.95) — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 75
• Discourse constructs subject positions that speakers must occupy regardless of belief #expands (0.90)
• Power-laden words constrain how and whether people can think certain thoughts. #expands (0.90)
• Power operates partly through perception rather than explicit verbal communication #expands (0.85)
• A homogeneous epistemological field enables political tactical uses of discourse #expands (0.85) — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 223
• Discourses form coherent wholes through interlocking statements sharing strategy #expands (0.85)
• Linguistics decentered identity by showing subjects are positioned in pre-existing discourse #expands (0.85)
• Technical systems shape subjectivity by functioning as discourse networks #expands (0.80) — , The Braided Reading EPUB, 1224