Instances of Ideology in Discursive Practice: Implications for Library and Information Science

Abstract

The growth of knowledge in any discipline depends on discursive practice for the assertion of claims and the assessment of claims. At times, however, that discursive practice may be ideological in nature. Ideology is here defined as being grounded in efforts at domination--the ascendance of some ideas over others. Examination of the incidence of ideology in discourse is necessarily interpretive; part of this article explores the application of hermeneutics to the analysis of discourse. A set of examples of discursive practice in library and information science (LIS), purposely selected, is examined for ideological intent. Ultimately, the aim is to demonstrate that some discourse is ideological in nature and purpose, and to point out the implications of such discursive practice for knowledge growth in LIS.