Diskursuste

Diskursuste is a term used in discourse analysis to denote the collection of discourses that shape thinking about a topic within a given public sphere and period. They include political, media, scientific, and cultural narratives that coexist, compete for legitimacy, and influence behavior, policy, and social norms. The concept emphasizes how different ways of speaking about an issue can reinforce or undermine one another.

The form Diskursuste draws on the Estonian word diskursus (discourse) and is used as a label for the plural set of discourses surrounding a subject. In academic work, it functions as a descriptive and analytical tool to map the variety of voices, frames, and meanings that circulate in society, rather than a single authoritative interpretation of reality.

Analytically, researchers identify diskursuste by recurring key terms, narrative frames, value positions, and implied assumptions. They examine how discourses are produced by institutions and actors, how they reach audiences, and how they interact with power structures. Temporal analysis tracks how diskursuste evolve in response to events, technologies, and social change, and how new frames can displace or modify older ones.

Applications of the concept appear in political communication, media studies, science communication, and public policy analysis. For example, examining climate change diskourses across governments, industry groups, and advocacy organizations reveals competing priorities, risk perceptions, and proposed solutions.

Critics warn that the concept can be abstract and methodologically subjective. Delimiting which discourses count and how to weigh them can reflect researchers’ perspectives, potentially masking nuanced overlaps between categories. See also: discourse analysis, framing, public sphere, agenda-setting.