Tensions and potentials of involving young people in discourse analysis: an example from a study on sexual consent

Involving participants/intended audiences in discourse analysis may help to avoid overemphasising the structural effects of and silencing participant voice. Yet, involving participants complex analytic processes effectively can prove difficult. In this study, authors undertook a Foucauldian sexual consent material within eight (predominantly UK) wide-ranging, youth-focused campaigns identify discourses relevant produce collage for each discourse. Then, 43 young people from West Yorkshire, UK, helped underlying messages collages (i.e. discourses), consider who was constructed as powerful, benefited ‘lost out’ these messages. This paper explores benefits challenges way, concludes that, ‘both/and’ approach should be employed acknowledge both people’s perspectives academic researcher’s desire retain critical stance toward problematic discourses.