Clash of the Titans
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Eija Suomela-Salmi
Abstract
Our contribution looks at a specific case of academic discourse, that of the positioning of various scientific discourses within social and media spheres. More specifically, we examine how concepts used in the Social and Human Sciences (SHS) are discursively constructed by members of different scientific fields. Our approach is thus “cross-cultural” in the sense that we are analyzing discourses stemming from different (sub-)disciplinary cultures. We consider the case of the (co-)construction of scientific concepts within the specific context of a radio broadcast involving a philosopher (the interviewer) and a sociologist (the interviewee). During the discussion, several concepts are introduced by the interlocutors (“understand vs. explain”, “recognition”, “the subject”, “ethics”, “norms”…), which are defined, redefined, exemplified, etc. We scrutinize some discursive phenomena through how the philosopher and the sociologist build upon, (co-) construct and reformulate each other’s definitions and ideas, as well as their own. This is complemented by an analysis of the various positions taken by the interlocutors as well as their interaction strategies in creating their lines of thought. The ultimate goal of the article is to attempt a description of a type of academic discourse which is understudied.
Abstract
Our contribution looks at a specific case of academic discourse, that of the positioning of various scientific discourses within social and media spheres. More specifically, we examine how concepts used in the Social and Human Sciences (SHS) are discursively constructed by members of different scientific fields. Our approach is thus “cross-cultural” in the sense that we are analyzing discourses stemming from different (sub-)disciplinary cultures. We consider the case of the (co-)construction of scientific concepts within the specific context of a radio broadcast involving a philosopher (the interviewer) and a sociologist (the interviewee). During the discussion, several concepts are introduced by the interlocutors (“understand vs. explain”, “recognition”, “the subject”, “ethics”, “norms”…), which are defined, redefined, exemplified, etc. We scrutinize some discursive phenomena through how the philosopher and the sociologist build upon, (co-) construct and reformulate each other’s definitions and ideas, as well as their own. This is complemented by an analysis of the various positions taken by the interlocutors as well as their interaction strategies in creating their lines of thought. The ultimate goal of the article is to attempt a description of a type of academic discourse which is understudied.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- As academics we are not disposed to say “I know the world is round...” 19
- Certainty and commitment in the construction of academic knowledge in the humanities 33
- Citation in business management research articles 49
- A cross-cultural comparison of the functions and sociolinguistic distribution of English and German tag questions and discourse markers in academic speech 61
- Polyphony in academic discourse 83
- Academic voices in the research article 109
- Author identity in economics and linguistics abstracts 123
- Exploring the polyphonic dimension of academic book review articles in the discourse of linguistics 135
- Notes on notes 151
- The use of contrastive strategies in a sociology research paper 165
- Different worlds, different audiences 187
- Spoken rhetoric 199
- Argumentative strategies in conference discussions sessions 219
- Clash of the Titans 243
- Semantic and discursive construction of the “Europe of knowledge” 275
- Magna Charta Universitatum 294
- Index 297
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- As academics we are not disposed to say “I know the world is round...” 19
- Certainty and commitment in the construction of academic knowledge in the humanities 33
- Citation in business management research articles 49
- A cross-cultural comparison of the functions and sociolinguistic distribution of English and German tag questions and discourse markers in academic speech 61
- Polyphony in academic discourse 83
- Academic voices in the research article 109
- Author identity in economics and linguistics abstracts 123
- Exploring the polyphonic dimension of academic book review articles in the discourse of linguistics 135
- Notes on notes 151
- The use of contrastive strategies in a sociology research paper 165
- Different worlds, different audiences 187
- Spoken rhetoric 199
- Argumentative strategies in conference discussions sessions 219
- Clash of the Titans 243
- Semantic and discursive construction of the “Europe of knowledge” 275
- Magna Charta Universitatum 294
- Index 297
