Tolis, V. (Cover date: September 2023) A Method for Change. Lacanian Discourse Analysis: A Glimpse into Climate Policy. International Studies Quarterly, 67 (3). sqad059. ISSN 0020-8833
Abstract
In this article, I propose a return to Jacques Lacan, I develop a Lacanian discourse analysis (LDA) as one possible method in international relations and demonstrate its potential by sketching out the case of climate change policy within the European Union. Lacan’s theory of the four discourses as conceptual “mind maps” informs a method of discourse analysis enabling researchers to empirically investigate how a hegemonic discourse can be challenged and potentially subverted. A Lacanian perspective emphasizes the “subject of the enunciation” and conceptualizes subjects as socially produced but lacking: Discourse provides an historicized socio-linguistic structure sustaining the subject’s societal relations, but the speaking activity always produces a cut within subjectivity, which manifests as an excess-loss of meaning in the enunciation. Via the case study of the energy efficiency policy in the EU, I first illustrate how an LDA allows us to investigate climate knowledge and the authority of the discourse. Then, by looking at how energy efficiency is spoken in the enunciation, I expose the excess of meaning produced as an effect of language, which “fractures” the discourse. Finally, I show how to leverage on these produced fractures to assess the transformative and empowering potential of the observed discourse.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) (2023). This is an author produced version of an article published in International Studies Quarterly. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 16 Oct 2023 08:45 |
Last Modified: | 16 Oct 2023 08:45 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press (OUP) |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/isq/sqad059 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:204228 |
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