Turn to Discourse and DISCOURSE ANALYSIS <last class> What did we learn? That we make interpretations about speakers we fell judgments about poor guys like ‘Broken Glass’ - on the basis of very little data - “ demeaning” “condescending ” Being descriptive - not critical! But we have to back them up!!! Last Class -- on Discourse and Discourse Analysis

New York Times Sunday, Feb 5, 2005

Turn to NARRATIVE and NARRATIVE ANALYSIS What is Narrative? Why is Narrative central to Psychology? Exercises Second Class on Discourse Narrative and Narrative Analysis

What is NARRATIVE? BEING Human Requires Telling Stories Understanding Humans Requires Understanding Stories Bochner’s approach to Story Telling Our approach to the Analysis of Narratives How is the story TOLD? Why these particular words? Why this particular structure? BEING DESCRIPTIVE Versus JUST listening to or collecting others’ stories

Building on Potter’s Discursive Psychology Action Orientation What is this story supposed to accomplish Situation –sequential arrangement (what happened before + after?) –institutional arrangements (classroom vs campfire) rhetorical organization (what is countered and/or aligned with?) Construction –A version of the world in the story-world –versions of others (and of SELF)

action orientation + SELF-CONSTRUCTION in story-telling When I tell a story (whether it is about MYSELF or about OTHERS) I reveal the PERSPECTIVE from which I view the world This will be taken as “speaking about myself” (=making a statement as to who I am – as how I want to ‘come across’)

What is the Story about? A boy A fat boy who always gets teased A pie-eating contest A huge barforama A revenge Davie’s revenge for always getting teased A kid taking on an adversary environment A kid taking on the adult world Teengae fantasies (in America) Growing up in the American culture (the 60ties?) Coming of age

The STORY stands for something Something MORE than just what happened It’s more than ‘look at that’ The story reveals aspects of ‘my self’ - of how I make sense of myself The story reveals aspects of how I want to come across to others

Who ARE these four boys? We make assumptions about the participants: –How do they come across by their contributions to the story? –How do they arrange themselves sequentially? –How do they accomplish ‘a sense of who they are’? How do we arrive at OUR interpretations?

What is Narrative Analysis? and what can we learn from it How does the speaker position him-/herself? –Vis-à-vis characters in the story (e.g., Davie Hogan, the folks at the pie-eating contest, etc.) –Vis-à-vis those being addressed as audience: the other three around the campfire –Vis-à-vis him-/herself: what these events MEAN to me Story as co-produced –All 4 participants take part in self-constructions

Narrative Analysis To figure out their ‘sense of self’ –How THEY make sense of who they are How they want to be understood –situated in context (here: campfire talk) IDENTITY –How participants configure a sense of self Claim their “identities” in talk We are DESCRIBING > these claims by use of their stories --- from THEIR POINT OF VIEW Relate back to Fish, Maracek, Shank + Goldenberg