(no subject)

[David Samuels]

Hmm.  Certainly discourse would include all socially mediated semiotic
systems, the "publicly accessible sign vehicles" that Urban talks about.
Whether this equates with "culture" is I think an open question.  And while
social customs may be in a sense accessible through these signs, its not
entirely clear that psychological perceptions are.  And I think one of the
interesting issues about discourse, in the sense that it exists at the
nexus of practice and ideology, is the entent to which, not to mention how,
these things might or might not be shared.  Social circulation of "signs"
and sharing of "meanings" might be very different things.

---------

>Susan wrote: "Even though "discourse" can easily be conceived of as
>primarily verbal, I also believe that pictorial and gestural elements are
>key components
>in a definition of discourse- along with any social customs, psychological
>perceptions, spiritual understandings, or other culturally shared
>referents, perspectives, associations, or knowledge."
>
>This seems to equate discourse with culture, and to define culture as
>everything associated with humans. Is this generally what folks on this
>list mean by "discourse"?
>
>
>*******************************************
>Houston Wood       hlwood at aloha.net



David W. Samuels
Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
212 Machmer Hall
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003

VOX: (413) 545-2702
FAX: (413) 545-9494
email: samuels at anthro.umass.edu