Concepts as Assemblages: Methodological Proposal for Critical Discourse Research on Gender Identity
Matías Soich | National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET)
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3305-7380
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.71106/FWXK1301
Publication: Social Justice Special Issue
Abstract | This paper upholds the importance of treating concepts as situated interdisciplinary arrangements or assemblages. This proposal is based on my research on the discursive representation of transgender identities in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I start by giving some context on gender identity as a research topic, and make the case for studying it from a discursive perspective. I then present the methodology, theoretical framework, and main results of my research. From it, gender identity emerges as an interdisciplinary concept that combines elements from Critical Discourse Analysis, Transgender theory, and Deleuzian philosophy. Finally, I use the connections between them to propose a methodological approach based on the concept of assemblage, as a view that can enrich both Discourse Studies in particular and critical social science in general.
Keywords | Gender Identity, Transgender theory, Argentina, Discursive Representations, Interdisciplinarity, Assemblage, Critical Social Science, Deleuze
Matías Soich (matias.soich@gmail.com; ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3305-7380) is Assistant Researcher at the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research, Argentina, where he investigates the discursive construction of gender identities. He graduated in Philosophy and has a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Buenos Aires. He also teaches graduate and post-graduate courses at the Universities of Buenos Aires and Tres de Febrero, and is a senior editor of the journal Ideas, revista de filosofía moderna y contemporánea and a member of the research group “Deleuze: practical ontology.” He is an LGBTIQ+ human rights activist.
MLA Citation for this Article:
Soich, Matías. “Concepts as Assemblages: Methodological Proposal for Critical Discourse Research on Gender Identity.” Language, Literature, and Interdisciplinary Studies, Social Justice Special Issue, 3 Oct. 2025, pp. 2.21–2.48, https://doi.org/10.71106/FWXK1301.