Authorship and context : writing and text production as situated activities

In this chapter, the authors examine the study of text production in relation to the ways that agency, author, and social context intersect, examining such questions as who are the agents of text production and how do they act in contemporary institutions of individual and organizational text production? In addition to outlining several related theoretical frameworks (Realist Social Theory, Activity Theory, Critical Discourse Analysis), the authors address the ways that research methodologies are inextricably linked to the theoretical perspectives informing them. Highlighting the interplay of socio-cultural contexts with authoring activities, the authors use two examples from the traditions of media linguistics and new literacy studies to address the ways that understanding context is crucial in analyzing and interpreting authors as agents of text production