Foucault sees discourse as set of ideas and practices which condition our ways of relating to, and acting upon, particular phenomena; and as group of statements which provide a language for talking about – a way of representing the knowledge about – a particular topic at a particular historical moment. Discourse is about the production of knowledge through language.
But, since all social practices entail meaning, and meanings shape and influence what we do– our conduct – all practices have a discursive aspect .