Space and Time in the Construction of Identity in Institutional Discourse

Starting from the notion of identity as a cognitive phenomenon, essential to perform any human behaviour in a physical environment (space) and within a phenomenological context (time), the paper focuses on how this ‘private’ aspect of cognition and experience is constituted in the domain of public discourse. This is particularly important when looking at institutional identity, which is so obviously contingent on local conditions and different interactional contexts. Space and time are seen as an integral part of discursive patterns, as shown in the chapter through a case study of professional and institutional identity in the genre of economics lectures.