The Anxiety of Discourse: A Journey through the History of Discourse Analysis through the Works of Michel Pêcheux

Abstract

Maldidier's inquiry centered on tracing the genesis of discourse analysis while considering its ideological and cognitive underpinnings. This exploration began by contextualizing the theory's inception and its foundational concepts. Maldidier highlighted the intricate interplay of structural and generative linguistics, historical linguistics with a focus on semantics and pragmatics, and the influence of deconstruction during its formative phase. Crucially, he emphasized on Michel Pêcheux's commitment to preserving discourse analysis as an autonomous theory with distinctive elements—concepts, methods, analytical tools, and a specific research domain—rather than assimilating it into another discipline. Nonetheless, with the erosion of absolute scientific paradigms, discourse analysis underwent a shift towards interpretation, lacking a cohesive program or methodology and presenting challenges to its application and relevance.