Dissipative Representations: A Non-Dualist Approach to Language and Identity

This paper introduces Dissipative Representations (DiRe) as a methodological notion that transcends dualistic thinking in language research, identity studies, and related fields. Drawing from the premise that reality equals information (R=I), DiRe offers an epistemological reorientation that conceptualizes representations as dynamic informational patterns rather than static entities, challenging traditional frameworks that reify conceptual dichotomies. The theoretical foundation integrates Analytic Idealism (ontological dimension), Decolonial Theory (axiological dimension), and the Informational Field Metaphor (methodological dimension), creating a coherent alternative characterized by informational flexibility, provisional utility, relational dynamics, and resistance to objectification. A three-level model of information processing—perception, representation, and meta-representation—provides practical analytical guidance, while validation criteria across ontological, epistemological, methodological, and decolonial dimensions ensure epistemic responsibility. Applications in sign language analysis through deep multimodality, linguistic identity demarcation, and digital identity studies demonstrate DiRe's capacity to resolve persistent theoretical dilemmas without sacrificing analytical rigor. The framework's transformative implications extend to knowledge decolonization, educational practices, and ethical research conduct, addressing what I term "Technical-Epistemic Gridlock" in contemporary methodologies. DiRe constitutes the primary analytical tool within the broader framework of Convergences of Lived Open Unfolding Diversity (CLOUD), offering pathways toward more epistemically just and ontologically coherent approaches to understanding human experience.