Power and knowledge, mechanisms of discursive reproduction and social breakup

Abstract

The topic of speech has been an object of study in recent years. It can be considered a social practice through which humans communicate and by which they bring themselves together. The present article serves as a reflection on the concept of speech itself, principally in the light of the theories proposed by Michel Foucault and Basil Bernstein, some of whose more important works will be referenced throughout, which provide a base for this work. It suffices to say that by reading this document one may arrive at a simple understanding of the theme, which will be supplemented by timely ideas from the aforementioned authors. First of all, the concept of speech is clarified and its direct relationship to power and knowledge is established; elements here responsible for social divisions, divisions based on the codes that circulate in an unequal manner among them.