On State of the Art of Discourse Studies in Poland: Towards Diagnosis

Abstract

This article provides reflection on the state-of-the-art and key challenges of qualitative discourse studies as a social science research method in Poland. It focuses on the so-called Workshops in Discourse Analysis [Warsztaty Analizy Dyskursu], a multidisciplinary research collaboration that, initially taking place informally at the University of Lodz, eventually evolved and became institutionalized as a national Consortium for Discourse Studies [Konsorcjum Analizy Dyskursu]. At its core, the article provides a critical review of the volume The Discourse of Symbolic Elites: Towards a Diagnosis (Dyskurs elit symbolicznych. Próba diagnozy [M. Czyżewski, K. Franczak, M. Nowicka, J. Stachowiak, eds., 2014]), which is the first major publication resulting from works of (selected) members of the aforementioned research consortium. As is argued in the article, the focal publication displays the significant amount of challenges faced by the multidisciplinary collaboration within the area of discourse studies. These challenges not only stem from the fact that discourse analysts working in Poland come from different arts & humanities and social science disciplines, but also are rooted in the fact that these researchers draw on various—and often significantly different— traditions in qualitative discourse studies, and often do not engage sufficiently in a constructive dialogue with existent and well-established approaches to discourse research. Hence, the article not only summarizes the key distinctive features of the volume under review, but also attempts to position the state-of-the-art of discourse analysis in Poland within the contemporary international landscape of (critical) discourse studies.