Defining the discipline? A discourse analysis of the Information Seeking In Context conference 1996-2010

Abstract: The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine what form the information seeking discourse has, as displayed through the call for papers of the Information Seeking in Context (ISIC) conference. The ISIC conference is a biannual conference which gathers many key researchers and is widely regarded as the preeminent conference in the information seeking field, a field of research that has comparatively few actors. The original conference was started because of a perceived lack in forums to discuss information seeking in a user context perspective. These factors combine to make it both an attainable and interesting possibility to examine the view of the fields’ discourse and how it has changed over time. The method used is Mouffe’s and Laclau’s discourse theory and the materials studied are the conference invitations for researchers to submit their papers, the CFPs. The findings are partly in concordance with the coalescing of an interdisciplinary field of research. After the initial ‘anything-goes’ phase focus has shifted to the discussion of what belongs in information seeking and what does not. The difference being that the organisers, rather than delineating fields of interest and approved theories and methods, beseech contributors to examine their own epistemology and theories as well as plan for the dissemination of findings among practitioners. Along with this disciplining the discipline runs a strong current of empowerment shown among other things by the encouragement of local researchers to submit their research papers. Information seeking and information science as a whole would benefit from an awareness of the discourse development in the field. Such scrutiny could be an instrument of definition and empowerment and lead to a better understanding of what and why research is done in the field of information seeking.