Pairing information with poverty: traces of development discourse in LIS
نویسندگان
چکیده
Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate and critically assess the notions of “information poverty” in LIS by highlighting its connections with development discourse. Design/methodology/approach – The article takes a discourse analysis approach, which starts from Michel Foucault’s understanding of discourse. “Information poverty” is posited as a statement and investigated in its relation to other statements. The focus is on discursive procedures that emerge from the repeated connections between statements. The article draws on the interpretative analysis of 35 English language articles published in scholarly and professional LIS journals between 1995 and 2005. Findings – “Information poverty” and the “information poor” are established as being assigned specific positions in the discourse of LIS as the result of overlapping, sometimes conflicting discursive procedures. The concept emerges as a possibility in LIS by anchoring it in the dominant discourse of development. Traces of development discourse surface in LIS and contribute to the legitimisation of the concept of “information poverty” by lending it authority. Research limitations/implications – The material selection is linguistically biased. Results and findings are fully applicable only in an English language context. Originality/value – The article relates the professional discourse of LIS to the dominant discourse of development and thus highlights some of the assumptions upon which the concept of “information poverty” is built. Moreover, the article is intended to contribute to the further development of discourse analysis in LIS.
منابع مشابه
Pairing information with poverty:
Purpose: To investigate and critically assess the notions of 'information poverty' in LIS by highlighting its connections with development discourse. Design/methodology/approach: The article takes a discourse analysis approach, which starts from Michel Foucault's understanding of discourse. 'Information poverty' is posited as a statement and investigated in its relations to other statements. Th...
متن کاملConceptions of "information poverty" in LIS: a discourse analysis
Purpose – To provide an analysis of the notion of “information poverty” in library and information science (LIS) by investigating concepts, interests and strategies leading to its construction and thus to examine its role as a constitutive element of the professional discourse. Design/methodology/approach – Starting from a Foucauldian notion of discourse, “information poverty” is examined as a ...
متن کاملConceptions of ‘Information Poverty’ in LIS: An Analysis of Discourses
Notions of 'information poverty' and the ’information poor’ in LIS are examined from a discourse analytical perspective. Foucault's understanding of discourse, as forming the social reality to which it refers, is outlined and the related concept of the statement, as the basic element of discourse, is introduced. 'Information poverty' is examined as a statement in its relation to other statement...
متن کاملAn inquiry into the concept of information poverty
Background and Aim: The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of information poverty, its levels and its causes in society Methods: The article is a review-analytical paper. Results: The findings show that information poverty is part of the larger problem of poverty and results from socioeconomic, educational and infrastructural issues. Information poverty can be discussed at mac...
متن کاملAssessment of Poverty Alleviation Strategies Used By Rural Farming Households in Ondo State, Nigeria
Poverty has plagued many rural farming household in Nigeria. Despite several approaches adopted by Government to ameliorate poverty among its citizenry, the number of people living in impoverished condition has continued to rise. This study therefore aimed at assessing the poverty alleviation strategies used among farming household in Ondo State, Nigeria. A validated interview schedule and ques...
متن کامل