Nexus Analysis presents an exciting theory by two of the leading names in discourse analysis and provides a practical guide to its application. The authors argue that discourse analysis can itself be a form of social action. If the discourse analyst is part of the nexus of practice under study, then the analysis can itself transform that nexus of practice. Focussing on their own involvement with and analysis of pioneering communication technologies in Alaska they identify moments of social importance in order to examine the links between social practice, culture and technology. Media are identified not only as means of expressing change but also as catalysts for change itself, with the power to transform the socio-cultural landscape. In this intellectually exciting yet accessible book, Ron Scollon and Suzie Wong Scollon present a working example of their theory in action and provide a personal snapshot of a key moment in the history of communication technology, as the Internet transformed Alaskan life.
Author(s): Ron Scollon
Edition: 1
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 224
Book Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 4
Contents......Page 5
Preface......Page 8
Discourse analysis and social action......Page 20
Cycles of discourse......Page 37
From the essay to email: New media technology and social change......Page 54
Engaging the nexus of practice: Oil, the Cold War, and social change in Alaska in the 1980s......Page 88
Navigating the nexus of practice: Mapping the circumferences and timescales of human action......Page 103
Navigating the nexus of practice: Discourse analysis and institutional power......Page 127
Changing the nexus of practice: Technology, social change, and activist discourse analysis......Page 156
Appendix: A practical fieldguide for nexus analysis......Page 171
References......Page 198
Index......Page 210
