According to Gee (2013), Holland (1998, p. 52) says a figured world is "A socially and culturally constructed realm of interpretation in which particular characters and actors are recognized, significance is assigned to certain acts, and particular outcomes are valued over others. Each is a simplified world populated by a set of agents who engage in a limited range of meaningful acts or changes of state as moved by a specific set of forces" (p. 89).
Reference:
Gee, James Paul. An Introduction to Discourse Analysis Theory and Method. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.