The greater part of our knowledge is bound up in discursive contexts. That which incontrovertibly exists is presented discursively as a fact. Thus, factual knowledge is produced in discourses. This role of discourse lends great relevance to discursive analysis and to the process of deciphering discursive practices. This is all the more true when power relations determine which knowledge is worthy of preservation and which should be considered expendable. The studies included in this volume undertake an analysis of discourse from the perspectives of linguistics, sociology, philosophy, and risk research.
