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- Title
Commentary: What Is Problematic about a Discourse Called "Unproblematic"?
- Authors
Scully, Maureen A.
- Abstract
This paper on discourse makes for lively reading, because it offers such rich examples of the discourse it analyzes. At different points in the paper, the author refers to the idea that "discourse creates institutions" as well as the idea that "institutions create discourse." The power of discourse is that it creates a circular thread whose beginning and end are hard to find. This paper is therefore especially helpful by analyzing a discourse at the time it is fabricated, to trace how the reinforcing loop is set in motion. Moreover, the author does not lose sight of how the circle might be broken. While many accounts of strong social forces overlook the possibility of resistance, this paper remembers to look for glimmers of resistance and remark on the significance of their absence. At the moment of creation of a discourse, its promulgators seem to exhort earnestly. The author frequently notes how the discourse is offered "unproblematically" and "without irony." I think these terms offer important critiques and also warrant exploration. In my remarks, I will probe some issues raised by the paper's thought- provoking examples and discussion, exploring what might be problematic in judging a discourse to be "un-problematic." In particular, I will look at three features of unproblematic discourse: its earnestness, its failure to apprehend contradictions, and its silencing of resistance. I will consider the implications of these critiques, particularly the knowing standpoint of the critic, the distraction from alternatives in the hunt for contradictions, and the underestimation of the workers' own sense of irony.
- Subjects
DISCOURSE; EXECUTIVES; EMPLOYEES; LEGAL compliance; THEORY of knowledge; IRONY; BUSINESSMEN; REASON; EARNEST (Law); CONTRADICTION; DISCOURSE analysis; QUALITY
- Publication
Organization Science, 1998, Vol 9, Issue 6, p750
- ISSN
1047-7039
- Publication type
Editorial
- DOI
10.1287/orsc.9.6.750