Difficult to Provide a Definition to Discourse

¶ … difficult to provide a definition to discourse analysis in reference to its use as a research tool. Instead of being a formalized methodology, it is more of a mind-set or epistemological approach. In this sense, Discourse Analysis is neither a qualitative nor a quantitative research method, but a manner of questioning the basic assumptions of quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Discourse Analysis does not provide a tangible answer to problems based on scientific research, but it enables access to the ontological and epistemological assumptions behind a project, a statement, a method of research, or - to provide an example from the field of Library and Information Science - a system of classification[footnoteRef:1]. Furthermore, it challenges the assumptions that the scientific method places upon research. Generally this method questions the entire essence of the research problem itself and the inherent assumptions that it makes.

[1: (Palmquis)] History and Development Looking at history through the lens of language is a relatively new phenomenon. Linguistic theories have penetrated the humanities and social sciences in recent decades and offer an interdisciplinary alternative to historical inquiry[footnoteRef:2]. The attractiveness of this approach is fairly clear though there is a wide array of possible applications. No matter what you say to tell us about your experience or how we respond to your report, our statements are inexorably bound up in discourses[footnoteRef:3].

There is some debate about the level of control that an individual has over the discourse, yet the discourse provides many insights into the social practices of any given time period. What is included, or not included, in the discourse can reveal many aspects of society as well as individual perceptions[footnoteRef:4]. [2: (Boettcher)] [3: (Boettcher)] [4: (Clark)] From this perspective, the argument is made that these conflicts should be "sensed and not confronted" as it is easy to be anachronistic when looking for incoherencies in the language.

Thus the conceptual strategies associated with opposition and inversion that try to explain the demonology and its development are grounded in discourse and represent the incoherence and the transcendent in which later discourse emerges[footnoteRef:5]. Although it is natural to look at the discourse through a skeptical lens that is inherent in the modern perspective, it is important to realize that many intellectuals in history viewed the current events as truth based on their experience.

As a result of their historical perspectives, it is interesting to study subjects such as the spread of witchcraft through this perspective because it is now known that witchcraft is a figment of the imagination. [5: (Clark)] This provides a perfect example because it is difficult to imagine the historical perspectives that prevailed in the minds of the population of who were exposed to discourse that promoted ideas of witchcraft and sorcery. From a modern perspective, we automatically assume that the beliefs in witchcraft are an inherently false proposition.

However, the historical perspectives undoubtedly viewed the witch from and entirely different epistemology and believed witches to be an actual tangible force that was to be feared. As a result, much of the research that has been dedicated to studying the witch makes certain assumptions about the practice of witchcraft that serve as their assumptions. However, there were those at the time who believed in real witches and real sabbats, feared them, and wanted something harsh to be done with them[footnoteRef:6].

[6: (Clark)] Therefore, to better understand human experiences in historical contexts, discourse analysis provides an alternative perspective. It helps to alleviate modern biasness that assume an external reality and apply linguistic theory to better understand how the discourse shaped various worldviews. The narrative that prevails in any society can help understand the range of accepted conventional responses to any given event; especially by the intentional transgressions against it[footnoteRef:7].

One example of how the discourse can provide illumination on the practice of witchcraft is provided by Pierre de Lancre who describes the ceremonies of witches[footnoteRef:8]. Everything that he describes about the practice of witchcraft is ultimately backwards; that it is the exact opposite of the accepted social customs of the day. Those that did not meet the socially accepted norms of the society would run the.