Power and Control in Discourse

1. Discourse and Power Chapter 3:

2. At a medical school, a Professor of Anatomy said to the class, "A physician must possess two important qualities. First, a physician must be not squeamish, and, second, a physician must be observant. Let's check now whether you possess these two qualities. Here is a cadaver. So, look here, I am inserting my finger into the cadaver's anus. Now I'm putting my finger into my mouth. And now every student shall repeat this in a way of test." Is this ‘knowledge power’…

3. One by one, the students approached the bench where the cadaver was resting, inserted fingers into the cadaver's anus, and, with distorted faces, some of them shuddering, obediently placed their fingers into their mouths. When all students finished the test, the Professor said, "Good, you all passed the test in regard to the absence of squeamishness. Unfortunately you forgot about the second necessary quality of a physician. A physician must be observant. Is this ‘knowledge power’…

4. None of you noticed that I put into the cadaver's anus my forefinger, but into my mouth my middle finger…" Is this ‘knowledge power’…

5. An unequal encounter at the premature baby unit of a hospital DA Notation: D = Doctor S = Students Spaced dot – short pause . Dash – longer pause -- Extended square brackets [ Parentheses – unclear talk ( ) Power in Discourse

6. Powerful participants “controlling and constraining the contributions of non-powerful participants.” (Fairclough, 2001: 38-9) Constraints on: contents relations subjects Direct control e.g. “directive speech acts” Power in Discourse

7. Direct or Indirect control through conventions of legitimate discourse type e.g. teacher or doctor Less powerful participants also exercise self-constraint e.g. students in a class (Discuss example of unequal ‘gatekeeping encounter’ in Fairclough, 2001: 40-1))

8. Hidden power in opaque/hidden relations of power esp. separated in place and time e.g. in mass media discourse Media producers construct ideal subjects Producers exercise power by determining what to include in the discourse (Discuss ‘Quarry load-shedding problem’ news report in Fairclough, 2001: 42-3) Power in Discourse