Knowledge, Ideology, and Discourse

Modern developments in the theory of ideology and the structuralist analysis of discourse mean that some traditional problems of the sociology of knowledge can be tackled anew. This book argues that knowledge, ideology and discourse are different aspects of the same phenomenon. In developing the argument, the author examines the major contribution of Karl Mannheim and looks at how it was received. The Marxist theory of ideology is also examined, as is the emergence of discourse as a central focus in structuralist analysis. The connections and overlaps between these three strands of work are brought out with reference to more recent work in the sociology of science, critical linguistics and the analysis of women's knowledge. The author also shows how a discourse approach to the sociology of knowledge can be applied to problems of sexuality, ageing, disability and deafness.