Epistemological and philosophical refluxes in the constitution of the Pecheuxtian Discourse Analysis

This article aims at verifying influences of epistemological and philosophical basis constitutive of the French Discourse Analysis (DA), more specifically that one based on the studies of Michel Pêcheux.  For him, the social class, the socio-historic and cultural interpellation of the subject are determining of meanings and are linked with the Marxist historical materialism, via Althusser, as well as with the lacanian Psychoanalysis and with the saussurian Linguistics. His writings also influences by Michel Foucault, especially during the so-called “third phase” of the DA. Thus, between the two philosophical lines which cross science for centuries, that is, the formalist-logicist and the rationalist-idealism, the Discourse Analysis has a strong connection with this last one.

DISCOURSES ON EDUCATION IN COMIC STRIPS

This work aims to analyze the discourses and discursive formation about education, materialized in the following comic strips: Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson, Mafalda by Quino and Chico Bento, by Maurício de Sousa, and also establish some possible connections among them. The theoretical background is linked to the French orientation on Discourse Analysis focused on Michel Pêcheux’s works (1990a; 1990b; 1999; 2006; 2009), taking into account the notions of meaning’s effect, conditions for production as well as discursive formation. It is also taken conceptions of historicization by Maldidier (2003); concepts of theoretical and analytical device of interpretation by Orlandi (2002) and also the contributions for the concept of discursive formation by Foucault (2004). It is also added the notions of ideology, polyphony and heterogeneity according to Bakhtin (1997; 2003) and Authier-Revuz (2004), as they contribute for the A.D theory. For the comic strips theorization it is used Eisner’s works (2001; 2005), focused on the concepts of sequential and graphic narrative art; as well as Ramos’ (2009a; 2009b; 2010) with contributions for the language in comic strips. The theory about education is based on the synthesis/work by Mizukami (1986) and the limits for the teaching/learning approach. To problematize the discourses and discursive formations materialized in comic strips about school education the focus is on Paulo Freire’s works (1979; 1987; 1991; 1996; 1997). From the analysis of the discourses and, specially, discursive formations, in Calvin and Hobbes, Mafalda, and Chico Bento’s comic strips, we come to the conclusion that there is approximation among them, as the critics on the traditional teaching/learning approach. It is built up a rejection to the oppressive education, based on the repetition and on teacher’s authority; to an education merely utilitarian and capitalist; to the rigid lesson planning that don’t allow interdisciplinarity; to the evaluation methodology; to a teaching/ learning approach far from students’ reality; to the linguistic prejudice, and others.