The "boomerang" effect of the radicalism in discourse analysis
The "boomerang" effect of the radicalism in discourse analysis
The "boomerang" effect of the radicalism in discourse analysis
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And even before <strong>in</strong> Argu<strong>in</strong>g and Th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g (1987)<br />
“However, it might be pr<strong>of</strong>itable to explore <strong>the</strong> rhetorical dimensions <strong>of</strong> this <strong>the</strong>oretically important<br />
concept <strong>of</strong> social representations.”<br />
(Billig, 1987, p. 261)<br />
Altoge<strong>the</strong>r different is <strong>the</strong> position <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> more radical exponents <strong>of</strong> DA, who, on<br />
many occasions and still recently, have emphasised <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>compatibility with SRT.<br />
“We believe contrast<strong>in</strong>g ra<strong>the</strong>r than merg<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> perspectives will lead to more clarity <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ory and<br />
<strong>analysis</strong>.”<br />
(Potter & Eduards, 1999, p.448)<br />
Obviously completely different are <strong>the</strong> methodological consequences deriv<strong>in</strong>g from<br />
an option now addressed to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>tegration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> two paradigms, now targeted onto<br />
exasperat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>compatibility.<br />
We have discussed on several occasions our po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> view regard<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> need for<br />
acquir<strong>in</strong>g and develop<strong>in</strong>g a critical modality concern<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> methods and techniques <strong>of</strong><br />
survey and <strong>analysis</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> data <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir coherence with <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>oretical<br />
paradigms <strong>of</strong> reference and <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> conditions <strong>of</strong> application, besides <strong>the</strong> purposes<br />
pursued by <strong>the</strong> researcher. <strong>The</strong> multi-methodolgical option hoped for on a number <strong>of</strong><br />
occasions - as a k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> meta-<strong>the</strong>oretical <strong>in</strong>strument for problemis<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> data collected<br />
and <strong>the</strong> results obta<strong>in</strong>ed (de Rosa, 1990, 1994, <strong>in</strong> press a) - should not be exchanged for<br />
a summation <strong>of</strong> collect<strong>in</strong>g and analys<strong>in</strong>g data techniques. <strong>The</strong> attitude is too widely<br />
spread <strong>in</strong> psycho-social research <strong>of</strong> conduct<strong>in</strong>g a large number <strong>of</strong> sophisticated analyses<br />
on data collected without any critical precaution regard<strong>in</strong>g both <strong>the</strong> paradigm <strong>of</strong><br />
reference and <strong>the</strong> specific context <strong>of</strong> carry<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>vestigation. <strong>The</strong> developmental<br />
psychologists, and those with a cl<strong>in</strong>ical formation, are <strong>of</strong>ten (and rightly) horrified at<br />
how sometimes <strong>the</strong> social psychologists conduct <strong>in</strong>terviews with children (and not only<br />
<strong>the</strong>m).<br />
In this sense, <strong>the</strong> attention developed by discursive and rhetorical psychology<br />
towards <strong>the</strong>se aspects is precious - when <strong>the</strong> expression <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> positions does not end up<br />
by transform<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> radical socio-constructionism <strong>in</strong> a new form <strong>of</strong> methodological<br />
behaviourism, attentive more to record<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> rules <strong>of</strong> verbal, textual, and<br />
conversational behaviour <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> discursive facts than to <strong>the</strong>ir mean<strong>in</strong>gs for <strong>the</strong> subjects<br />
that express <strong>the</strong>m. An equilibrated position <strong>in</strong> this sense has been expressed recently <strong>in</strong><br />
contributions that describe <strong>the</strong> requirement for a conversational/discoursive approach<br />
for <strong>the</strong> study <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> social representations respectively (Mazzoleni, 2001).<br />
Obviously this <strong>in</strong>tegration is possible - as well as desirable - if <strong>the</strong> field is cleared<br />
from <strong>the</strong> scholastic orthodoxy and one starts to understand what, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>oretic<br />
perspective and <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> methods specific to <strong>the</strong> paradigm which is proposed as<br />
alternative, can throw <strong>in</strong>to crisis, <strong>in</strong> an <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g way, and render dynamic, critically,<br />
our paradigmatic convictions and our research practices. It is, perhaps, not by chance<br />
that this requirement is so strongly felt by <strong>the</strong> newest levy <strong>of</strong> researchers be<strong>in</strong>g tra<strong>in</strong>ed<br />
(Ph.D students) who ever more frequently show <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>in</strong>terest both for DA and for SRT<br />
and wonder why <strong>the</strong>se schools do not collaborate <strong>in</strong> jo<strong>in</strong>t research projects. <strong>The</strong> practice<br />
<strong>of</strong> reflexivity - <strong>in</strong>voked by <strong>the</strong> DA - teaches us that perhaps this occurs because <strong>the</strong><br />
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