Power and Knowledge in Critical Discourse Studies - Theoretical Reflections

The article deals with the problem of power and knowledge in contemporary discourse studies. The presented reflections are based on theoretical assumptions of the work by two French authors: Michel Foucault and Pierre Bourdieu. These assumptions constitute crucial reference point for contemporary critical discourse analysis (CDA). Different ways of interpreting the workings of power/knowledge in discourse by leading CDA scholars - Teun van Dijk, Ruth Wodak and Norman Fairclough - are analyzed. The aim of the text is not only to present the CDA theoretical background and conceptual scheme but also to demonstrate how discursive violence and hidden power relations can be identified with the help of these theoretical frameworks. The power/knowledge relations in media discourse predominated by symbolic elites, who reproduce discursive order, are given particular attention in the article. Through the presented reflections the author advocates the view that the consolidation of theoretical and methodological assumptions and the negotiation of conceptual framwork are much needed in the field of CDA since it facilitates intersubjective communication in sociology.