The Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse

This book develops the theoretical and methodological foundations of the Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse (SKAD). It brings together two previously unconnected traditions of knowledge analysis in the social sciences: on the one hand the rich tradition of the sociology of knowledge, and on the other the works of discourse theory, beginning with Michel Foucault. It presents a critical discussion of different sociology of knowledge and symbolic interactionist or interpretative approaches, explains the "communicative turn" of recent work in the field, and examines the emphases and convergences of the sociology of knowledge to date. Following this, the book discusses the existing discourse theory approaches and sets out the possibilities, problems and limits of recent discourse theory developments in critical discourse analysis, in hegemony analysis, or in cultural studies. Setting its own distinctive course, the book then develops an independent sociology of knowledge approach to discourse, and formulates a comprehensive research programme for the study of social relations of knowledge and politics of knowledge.