Introducing Institutionality

Abstract

In this introduction we outline theoretical and methodological approaches to discursive and material dimensions of institutional practices and propose that they are consequential in terms of the (re-)ordering of meaning and power relations in society. We introduce institutionality as a perspective that allows us to explore how institutions are defined, represented and become relevant and powerful in the public sphere. We argue for the importance of this perspective by firstly noting the omnipresence of institutions in social and cultural life and the many ways they matter to people. Secondly, we define institutionality as the practices that bring into being, characterise, enact, transform and resist institutions and outline how they enable and constrain peoples’ lives, and order discursive and material meanings. We suggest that empirical analyses of the social, embodied, symbolic and material modalities of institutionality and of processes of the making and unmaking of institutions, i.e. their (re-/de-)institutionalisation, reveal that institutions are both powerful and fragile. Thirdly, we propose that institutionality can be thought of as a confluence of several interrelated tensions regarding an institution’s ontology—specifically its continuity, scope and power relations. Fourthly, we situate institutionality in the context of research on institutions, briefly introduce the 20 chapters we have collected in this volume, and point out how each of them engages institutionality. The volume is structured in five parts: I. Workplace Interaction, II. Bodies, Architecture and Space, III. Mass Media Representations, IV. Organisational Publicity, V. Legitimising Knowledge and Power. In the conclusion, we discuss how contributions to this volume advance our understanding of institutionality.