Nexus Analysis: Discourse and the Internet

Nexus Analysis introduces a new and exciting theory by two of the leading names in discourse analysis and provides a practical field-guide to its application. People, places, discourses and objects form the key elements of social action. 'Nexus analysis' allows participants to explore these elements and trace their historical trajectories towards actions, in order to anticipate the outcomes of these actions. Using as a study their own experience of pioneering computer-mediated communication in Alaska in the late 70s and early 80s, the authors conduct a nexus analysis of the events and discourses of the time. As the birth of email and audio / video conferencing technologies expanded the possibilities for education and social interaction, the authors played an active role in shaping its use and analysing its effect. Looking back on this time now and on the huge impact that these technologies have had on our world as we know it today, they assess moments of social importance in order to examine the linkages among social practices, Alaskan peoples, and technologies. During this, they also consider the media of communication as not only a means of expressing change but also as a catalyst for change itself, transforming the socio-cultural landscape. In this intellectually exciting yet accessible book, Ron Scollon and Suzie Wong Scollon provide the reader with not only a working example of a new theory in action, but also a personal and engaging snapshot of a key moment in the history of communication technology, as Internet technology transformed Alaskan life.

Table of Contents

1. Discourse analysis and social action 2. Cycles of discourse 3. From the essay to email: new media technology and social change 4. Engaging the nexus of practice: oil, the Cold War, and social change in Alaska in the 1980's 5. Navigating the nexus of practice: mapping the circumferences and timescales of human action 6. Navigating the nexus of practice: discourse analysis and institutional power 7. Changing the nexus of practice: technology, social change, and activist discourse analysis References Appendix: a fieldguide for nexus analysis