diskurse

Diskurse is the plural form of the German noun Diskurs, meaning discourse. The term describes systems of statements, practices, and norms that organize knowledge, power, and social life within a given domain. It is used across the humanities and social sciences to denote not only ordinary conversations but the broader, routinized ways of talking and thinking that shape what counts as valid knowledge, legitimate expertise, or acceptable behavior.

Etymology-wise, Diskurs derives from the French discours, which in turn traces to Latin discursus, reflecting a sense of running to and fro in speech and argument. In academic usage, a diskursociety or field’s discourse encompasses the language, classifications, and assumed relations that sustain particular worldviews.

In theory and analysis, discourses are seen as more than individual opinions; they reflect and reinforce social structures, institutions, and power relations. Researchers study how discourses emerge, stabilize, and shift over time, and how they influence policy, media, education, science, and everyday life. Examples include the discourse of Enlightenment, political discourse, medical discourse, and climate discourse, among others.

Diskursanalyse, or discourse analysis, is a common methodological approach for examining how language functions within power dynamics, institutions, and cultural practices. In German-speaking scholarship, links to theories by Michel Foucault, Jürgen Habermas, and later figures in critical discourse analysis (e.g., Norman Fairclough, Teun A. van Dijk) are often emphasized.

See also: Diskurs, Diskurstheorie, Diskursanalyse, public discourse. Related fields include media studies, sociology, linguistics, and cultural studies.