Institutions, Institutional Change and Language

Wilfred Dolfsma ()

Chapter 3 in Institutions, Communication and Values, 2009, pp 14-29 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract By developing Searle’s (1995, 2005) argument that language is the fundamental institution, this chapter contributes to the growing institutionalist literature on the conception of the institution and the understanding of institutional change. Language is ambiguous, however, and so institutional reproduction, mediated by language, is a deeply contentious process. Moreover, ontologically, language and understanding delineate and circumscribe a community. A community cannot function without a common language, as Searle argued, but language at the same time constitutes a community’s boundaries, allowing for focused and effective communication. I develop the argument by drawing upon Luhmann’s (1995) systems analysis and notion of communication, underlining the essentially vulnerable nature of institutional continuity with change and reproduction as meaningful information crosses a system’s boundaries. This raises the question of how institutions may be recognized when they are vulnerable even when reproduced. Drawing from John Davis (2003) one may pose the questions: what differentiates institutions, and how can institutions be identified through time and space?

Keywords: Institutional Change; Institutional Fact; Collective Intentionality; Collective Acceptance; Institutional Recognition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-230-25066-6_3

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.palgrave.com/9780230250666

DOI: 10.1057/9780230250666_3

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Palgrave Macmillan Books from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().