Finally, we refer to the relationship between discourse and representation. In his essay on representation Hall refers to Michel Foucault's formulation on the relationship. Discourses – ways of speaking about anything – are representations and hence can establish knowledge. For instance discourse represents and legitimizes our ideas of the following:

Hall explains this as:

“Statements about ‘madness', ‘punishment' or ‘sexuality' …. give us a certain kind of knowledge about these things… the rules which prescribe certain ways of talking about these topics and exclude other ways - which govern what is ‘sayable' or ‘thinkable' about insanity, punishment or sexuality, at a particular historical moment…”