Discourse Analysis II

 

Gillian Rose (2001) has derived two methodological approaches from Michel Foucault’s work. In the previous blog post I analyzed the first method, entitled “Discourse Analysis I”, which focuses on visual imagery and texts. This post will discuss the second approach, namely what Rose calls “Discourse Analysis II” and which mostly pays attention to institutions and is mostly concerned with the power/knowledge problems in the discourse of these institutions.

Rose claims that although both these methods overlap and mostly work with the same kind of sources, Discourse Analysis II differs because it “…is much more concerned with their production by, and their reiteration of, particular institutions and their practices, and their production of particular human subjects” (pg. 164). Rose says that the key text for this sort of discourse analysis is Foucault’s The Birth of the Prison, which studies the history and development of penal systems and institutions made for disciplining the so-called “docile bodies” (pg. 165). These are the bodies that are subjected to these penalizing institutions and which eventually discipline themselves thanks to a special kind of visuality. Focault was especially interested in Jeremy Bentham’s plans for the panopticon, which is a type of building designed to enable constant visibility of the subjects. Therefore, the subjects are not aware whether they’re being watched or not, but have to remain disciplined because they could be watched at any time. Foucault claimed that this kind of surveillance is an efficient way to produce social order and that it became the “dominant form of visuality throughout modern capitalist societies.” (p.166).

There are two important concepts in Foucault’s work that have to be understood in order to fully recognize the work of institutions. The first one is the “institutional apparatus”, which “is the forms of power/knowledge which constitute the institutions: for example, architecture, regulations…, laws, morals…” (pg.166). Bentham’s Panopticon is an institutional apparatus as it is an architectural form that enables power over the subjects.

“Institutional technologies”, in turn, are the “practical techniques used to practice that power/knowledge” (pg.166). Foucault warns that these technologies are only rarely systematic.

Rose argues that the sources for doing the second type of discourse analysis can be as diverse as the ones typically used for the first method. She brings Tony Bennet’s The Birth of the Museum (1995) as an example, as he uses 19th century texts arguing for the establishment of galleries and museums while supplementing these historic texts with contemporary sources. Additionally, he compliments this with interviews with directors and curators and uses visual images to analyze the architecture and layout of these institutions.

 

Discourse Analysis of two record shops in Maastricht: Seventy Eight Records and Kinsum Records

 

For my personal discourse analysis, I chose to compare the two record shops in Maastricht: Seventy Eight, which focuses on dance music, disco, house and techno and Kinsum, which specializes in music like punk, rock and metal. The two obviously differ from eachother extensively, especially as Seventy Eight is less then a year old establishment while Kinsum has been around for years. Seventy Eight is also a project run by a couple of guys in their 20’s while Kinsum is managed by people older than 40.

I think it would be more relevant to start with Kinsum records, as it is much older and its discourse is very traditional of a record shop. When stepping into the shop its age becomes immediately apparent, as its interior serves as a tribute to the history of rock music and accumulation. The walls of the store are covered with legendary albums, posters and other music-related paraphenilia. There is little empty space in the shop and it is cluttered with crates of vinyl records in every corner. It seems that the store thrives on a sense of nostalgia for the older public who have experience with vinyl records from their youth. It is also strictly a record shop – meaning that there is little to do there apart from browsing, listening and buying the records they have to offer. There isn’t much need to interact with the employees of the shop – all of the prices are already marked on the records or the crates they are placed in.

In comparison, Seventy Eight records is a different kind of shop, targeting a young audience and focusing primarily on DJ’s. Aesthetically it is certainly more appealing – it follows a modern minimalist style, the walls are primarily empty white walls and there is more space which makes the rooms feel more like an art gallery than a store. Although it’s primary focus is also selling records, the store also has an area with chairs and tables and in addition to records, the employees serve coffee, lemonade and snacks. They encourage the customers to stay and relax after buying their records, or simply to attract young hip people to come spend their time there even if they are not interested in purchasing records. The store has a separate station for DJ’s and anyone interested can go and play their records. Seventy Eight records also requires much more interaction with the employees – only some of the records have fixed prices and for the others, the customer must ask the employees for their value. It encourages communication between the customers and employees and therefore creates a more “home-like” feeling, which potentially creates more loyal customers.

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