Institutionalization, Technology, and Power

Organizations have the power to establish the norms of discourse within various fields through organizational style guides. These style guides determine the conventions of discourse that professionals use every day. In this book, I explore and articulate the ideological context of some style guides in prominent professions. The institutionalization of discourse is seen through the history of style manuals and is particularly noted within the discourse of contemporary organizations that create style guides. Through an application of the theories of Foucault and Habermas, I discuss how these organizations institutionalize discourse and perpetuate a system of purposive-rational action. I offer an ideological critique of contemporary organizations that publish style guides and perhaps a potential methodology for future investigation. This book provides a critique of three prominent style organizations: the Modern Language Association, The University of Chicago Press, and the Wikimedia Foundation. Those interested in the institutionalization of discourse and how technology influences discursive style will find this book helpful for framing and understanding a technocratic society.