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able to specify definitional configurations enabling the creation of multiple and
variedtopicalstructures
.
Going back to our example, the form shown in Figures 8.7 and 8.8 enables us to
carry out a simple and quick thematic description of all the texts (audiovisual or
otherwise) that deal with a subject from this vast empirical domain, which relates to
most disciplines in human and social sciences - that of
culture in relation to the
social and historical world
, etc. Again, though, it is up to
the analyst
to
configure
the
topical structure
he needs. The (re-)configuration of the topical structure takes
place in two stages:
1) First, the analyst selects the conceptual term [Cultural construct] (part of the
first sub-sequence entitled
First: Identification of the cultural entity
). By doing so,
he indicates that he wishes to describe it further (in the second sub-sequence). If he
wishes to describe the conceptual term [Cultural construct] in a
de-contextualized
manner (i.e. in its own right, rather than in relation to a historical era, a particular
civilization or social group, etc.), he selects no other conceptual terms. Thus, the
topical structure he needs is reduced to a single conceptual term. Yet it remains
virtually
related to all the other conceptual terms in the generic configuration which
defines the domain of knowledge of the model of description underlying our
working form.
2) In a second stage, the analyst selects the term(s) dependent upon the
presupposed term [Cultural construct] (part of the first sub-sequence entitled
Then:
Identification of the social and/or historical entity
). The analyst can decide to define
a topical structure with
a primarily social dimension
(selecting one or more terms
from the branch [Social object]) or
a primarily historical dimension
(selecting one
or other conceptual term from the branch [Historical object]) or indeed a topical
structure of a
sociohistorical
nature (selecting, e.g. [Historical era] and [Social
group]). Of course, everything depends on the content of the audiovisual text he has
to describe.
Once the analyst has configured (defined) the appropriate topical structure to
describe the content of his audiovisual text, he goes on to
actually describe “his”
topical structure (second sub-sequence entitled
Descriptionoftheconfiguration
).
As Figure 8.8 shows, he can opt to follow a procedure of so-called
free
description
and/or
so-called controlled description
(i.e. using a thesaurus). The so-
called free description, in any case, is supposed to provide information about the
topical structure as it was defined
previously (in the sub-sequence
Definition of the
topicalstructure
) by the analyst:
