Published by Jan Zienkowski in the Handbook of Pragmatics (John Benjamins), this book chapter presents articulation as the core concept of Essex-style discourse theory. It presents related concepts such as the field of discursivity, the nodal point, the empty signifier, logics of equivalence and difference, as well as a brief introduction the Lacanian approach to discourse and subjectivity. The chapter also discusses new tendencies in poststructuralist discourse theory.
Special attention goes to the subfield of fantasy studies, to inquiries into the logics of populism, as well as to theoretical and empirical explorations of the discursive-material knot. The final section of this chapter provides a brief discussion of the way linguistic pragmatics and poststructuralist thought might be articulated together and enrich each other.
If linguistic pragmatics offers insight into the pragmatic dimension of articulatory practices, highlighting the importance of reflexive awareness, choice-making, and indexicality in discourse, discourse theory offers a powerful explanative framework for the human impulse to find meaning in productive but vain attempts to fix the boundaries of identities, groups, and entire societies. Jan Zienkowski is researcher at ReSIC, ULB, and associate researcher at Engage.