Discourses and Narratives That Shape Our World

1. Narratives that Shape Our World
Lesson 2: Discourses

2. Glossary
• Metanarrative n.
• Marginalisation n. (marginalise v.)
• Alterity n.
• Discourse n. (dominant and
oppositional)
• Stigmatisation n. (stigmatise v.)
• Subjugation n. (subjugate v.)
• Hegemony n. (hegemonic adj.)

3. Writing Activity
• Using an example from the TWO texts we explored
yesterday, discuss how stories shape our understanding of
the world around us. Aim for at least two examples from
each text.
• Challenge: Include at least two glossary terms (from previous
slide) in your response.
• The two texts we looked at were:
• June Jordan – “Poem About My Rights”
• Gordon Bennett – “Untitled”

4. Exemplar
Response
• Both June Jordan’s poem “Poem About My Rights” and Gordon
Bennett’s “Untitled” artwork convey the power of metanarratives to
curtail individual autonomy and dehumanise the marginalised. June
Jordan’s use of polysyndeton in “I could not go and I could not think
and I could not stay there” reinforces the interconnection between
physical and psychological oppression and the destructive effect of
dominant discourses on the Other. Additionally, the rhetorical
question “who in the hell set things up like this” elucidates the
socially constructed nature of this racist metanarrative and challenges
the inevitability and absolutism of this unjust power dynamic. Gordon
Bennett’s “Untitled” likewise reveals racist and colonialist
metanarratives to negate the individuality and humanity of the
marginalised, namely Indigenous Australians. Bennett’s repetition of
panels that depict the historical representation of Indigenous people
from a European gaze aligns with Jordan’s repetition of negative
language to suggest the systemic nature of discrimination towards
the Other. Furthermore, the gradual desaturation of the panels to
complete black in the “Dismiss” panel clarifies the way in which the
marginalised are silenced by the dominant discourse by depriving
them of authority and agency. Thus, this poem and artwork
compellingly demonstrate how narratives about the inferiority of the
marginalised lead to them being alienated from society and
eventually dismissed.

5. What is a Discourse?
• Here are some categories of language that are used in our culture. For each one, write
down who is qualified to speak this language, who it will be spoken to, where it will be
spoken, and what objects will be spoken about.
• Medical Language (speaker? Hearer? Place? Object?)
• Legal language (speaker? Hearer? Place? Object?)
• Literary language (speaker? Hearer? Place? Object?)
• Religious language (speaker? Hearer? Place? Object?)

6. What is a Discourse? Continued…
• All areas of human activity have their own ‘languages’. These ‘languages’ include not only terms
and concepts but also ways of speaking. These categories of language are called discourses. The
philosopher Michel Foucault has argued that discourses operate according to unwritten rules
about who can speak, who is spoken to, and what kinds of things can be talked about. They also
involve certain relations of power, as the examples before show.
• Discourses do not offer neutral descriptions of the world. They represent the world from certain
viewpoints. They also compete with each other for control of certain aspects of life. Wherever we
find one discourse, we know that it is taking the place of another which could be there. For
example, where Western cultures speak of ‘mental illness’ it was once possible to speak of
‘possession’. This change has been due in part to the fact that mental illness has become a subject
of medical discourse rather than a subject of religious discourse. In simple terms, this might show
a movement of power from priests to doctors.

7. Dominant and
Oppositional
Discourses
• Discourses which operate from positions
of power are sometimes referred to as
dominant discourses. Those which seek to
operate from other positions are
alternative or oppositional discourses.
Literary texts can bear traces of many
different and competing discourses, but in
the processes of reading and writing,
dominant discourses tend to obscure
alternative and oppositional forms. In this
way, texts and readings privilege some
views of the world over others, and basic
contradictions are hidden. By teasing out
the discourses of a text, and observing
which ones seem to be privileged, we can
find out which views a text supports.

8. Focus
Questions
How is storytelling a universal element of human
experience? How and why do stories resonate with
their audiences across time?
What are the conventions of narrative and how are they
crafted to tell stories about the other?
How do narratives about ‘the other’ comment upon and
reflect their own contexts?
How do narratives about ‘the other’ shape our
perceptions of our world, and challenge existing
structures and practices?
How can narratives support or challenge the authority of
the dominant culture?