The West and the Rest: Discourse and Power, Essay Example

One example of an important discourse that is not discussed in the piece is that between the public and security agencies regarding the privacy of the individual.  The discourse is not the conversation itself, but the meaning that is derived from this conversation.  Discourse is the practice of producing meaning form dialogue.  This conversation that is going on between private and public interests presents an important discourse regarding the necessities of security and its implications.  In doing this, those who take part in this conversation essentially help to “provide a language for talking about a particular kind of knowledge about a topic” (201).  In this way, this is an example of a discourse.

This discourse can essentially be accessed by anybody, however, there are important limitations in regards to the capabilities of the individual in effecting a coherent dialogue that is based in rational and comprehensible language.  For this reason, the more people that take part in this discourse, the more accessible it will become.  This is a discourse and not an ideology because the conversation itself is not necessarily concerned with who is wrong or right, but rather with creating a framework for managing the growing importance of technology.  The main difference is that “ideology is based on a distinction between true statements about the world and false statements” (202).  Due to the fact that both sides are seen as being important, the underlying conversation is geared towards the knowledge that it will provide rather than establishing truth or falsity.

The underlying issue regarding privacy is the amount of power held by those that are having the conversation. The rights of individuals or the rights of the many presents an important issue regarding how power is allocated.  In dialogue, those who are having the conversation are essentially a “part of the way power circulates and is contested” (205).  For this reason, power is an essential element within the context of the discourse regarding personal and public privacy rights.

Works Cited

Hall, Stuart. The West and the Rest: Discourse and Power. Formations of Modernity. 185-227. Print. 1996. Print.