Knowledge Organization and Discourse Analysis

This article explores the intersections between discourse analysis (DA) and Knowledge Organization (KO), examining how Michel Pecheux’s and Michel Foucault’s discourse theories can contribute to knowledge organization systems and the analysis of communities. Discourse analysis emerged from social and scientific movements in France from the 1960s onward as a theoretical and methodological framework from the perspective we have been working on over the last 20 years. This study discusses key aspects of DA and its potential applications within the field of KO. Despite the terms “discourse” and “analysis” in the literature, they are rarely examined structurally and transversally. This is mainly because such studies are relatively recent and originate from disciplines historically distant from KO. Consequently, incorporating discourse analysis as a theoretical lens in KO requires reconfiguring analytical frameworks, particularly regarding the construction of systems, approaches, and studies. Unlike traditional KO methodologies that focus primarily on conceptual structures, discourse analysis considers terms and their meanings and, through the lens of ideology, recognizes the historical and social dimensions of meaning construction. Therefore, Pecheux’s and Foucault’s discourse theory significantly contributes to domain analysis in KO.