A Narrative-Discursive Approach to Everyday Stories

Three Narrative Approaches Life-Story Approaches Life-Story Approaches Life-Event Approaches Life-Event Approaches “Small” Stories: “Small” Stories: short narrative accounts short narrative accounts embedded in every-day events embedded in every-day events unnoticed as ‘stories’ by the participants unnoticed as ‘stories’ by the participants highly relevant for identity formation processes highly relevant for identity formation processes

Life-Events Life-Events Most narrative research Focus on particular events or experiences Analysis of focused area Construction of meaning of the event for one’s life

Merits of narrative life research Illuminates lived experience Illuminates lived experience Invites participants to focus on the meaning of the event in their lives Invites participants to focus on the meaning of the event in their lives Emphasises the continuity of experience Emphasises the continuity of experience And considers aspects that seem unrelated And considers aspects that seem unrelated Assumes a unified sense of personal identity Assumes a unified sense of personal identity

Potential shortcomings How does this ‘unified sense of self’ come into existence? How does this ‘unified sense of self’ come into existence? How do we ‘learn’ to “sort out” events against what is called ‘life’? How do we ‘learn’ to “sort out” events against what is called ‘life’? Overemphasis of stories about the ‘self’ Overemphasis of stories about the ‘self’ Cutting out all those stories about others Cutting out all those stories about others Overemphasis of ‘long’ stories Overemphasis of ‘long’ stories Cutting out everyday, “small” stories Cutting out everyday, “small” stories

Why? Influences of ‘traditional’ psychological inquiry Influences of ‘traditional’ psychological inquiry Interests in the self + self-coherence Interests in the self + self-coherence Influences of traditional narratology Influences of traditional narratology Work with texts (written texts) Work with texts (written texts) Assumes an author behind the text Assumes an author behind the text Assumes moral rightness in narratives Assumes moral rightness in narratives Interviews as window into the self Interviews as window into the self

Narrative Dimensions (Ochs & Capps, 2001) Tellership Tellership one active teller vs. many one active teller vs. many Tellability Tellability high vs. low high vs. low Embeddedness Embeddedness detached from surrounding talk vs. situational embeddedness detached from surrounding talk vs. situational embeddedness Moral stance Moral stance one moral message vs. different + conflicting messages one moral message vs. different + conflicting messages Linearity & Temporality Linearity & Temporality closed temporal + causal order vs. open + spatial closed temporal + causal order vs. open + spatial

SMALL stories Characteristics of “small” stories Characteristics of “small” stories Functions of “small” stories Functions of “small” stories in everyday conversations in everyday conversations in the process of identity formation in the process of identity formation in learning to present ‘coherent’ selves in learning to present ‘coherent’ selves What these small stories accomplish in everyday situations What these small stories accomplish in everyday situations

Stories about others: the Davie Hogan story Positioning with Davie Hogan. Stories, Tellings & Identities. In C. Daiute & C. Lightfoot (Eds.) Narrative analysis: Studying the development of individuals in society. London: Sage. (2003)

Topic: gay kids at school J: actually I know a few of them I don’t know them but I’ve seen them Ed how can you tell they’re gay Alex yeah you can’t really tell J: no like how do I know they’re gay Ed yeah J: well he’s an 11th grade student the kid I know I’m not gonna mention names Ed alright who are they (raising both hands up) J: okay um and I’m in a class with mostly 11th graders Josh: and his name is (rising intonation)

Pre-Story Negotiation + Fine Tuning Pre-Negotiations Pre-Negotiations “I don’t know them but I’ve seen them” “I don’t know them but I’ve seen them” Challenge: “how do you know?” Challenge: “how do you know?” “how do I know they’re gay?” “how do I know they’re gay?” “he’s an 11th-grader” + “I’m in a class with 11th-graders” “he’s an 11th-grader” + “I’m in a class with 11th-graders” Fine-Tuning Fine-Tuning Why does he claim not to “know” them (and only having “seen” them)? Why does he claim not to “know” them (and only having “seen” them)? Why is his witness “honest” + “nice” Why is his witness “honest” + “nice” Why is she “a girl”? Why is she “a girl”? Why is the gay boy not talking to her ? Why is the gay boy not talking to her ? Why is he ‘mentioning’ that the gay boy “associates with a lot of girls” rather than boys? Why is he ‘mentioning’ that the gay boy “associates with a lot of girls” rather than boys?

Positioning Vis-à-vis his audience Vis-à-vis his audience I know about gays I know about gays I’m not “close to them” (= don’t get the wrong idea!!!) I’m not “close to them” (= don’t get the wrong idea!!!) Vis-à-vis the master-narratives of heterosexuality + liberal discourse Vis-à-vis the master-narratives of heterosexuality + liberal discourse Gays as ‘others’ Gays as ‘others’ Self as tolerant person Self as tolerant person Vis-à-vis a ‘sense of self’ Vis-à-vis a ‘sense of self’ Practicing/working toward/testing out a sense of “this is me” Practicing/working toward/testing out a sense of “this is me”

Characteristics of “SMALL” stories Short Short Conversationally Embedded + Negotiated Conversationally Embedded + Negotiated before before during during after after Fine tuned positioning strategies Fine tuned positioning strategies fine-tuned vis-à-vis the audience fine-tuned vis-à-vis the audience fine-tuned vis-à-vis dominant + counter narratives fine-tuned vis-à-vis dominant + counter narratives multiple moral stances (testing out and experimenting with identity projections ) multiple moral stances (testing out and experimenting with identity projections ) Low in tellability, linearity, temporality + causality Low in tellability, linearity, temporality + causality

Functions of SMALL stories Do identity work Do identity work Continuous editing of experience Continuous editing of experience Retelling of experience Retelling of experience Re-tuning tellings according to: Re-tuning tellings according to: different audiences different audiences different master-narratives different master-narratives different (developing) senses of ‘who-I-am’ different (developing) senses of ‘who-I-am’ Result in a sense of coherence Result in a sense of coherence via a constant reworking via a constant reworking

Conclusion Rather than assuming the existence of identity + sense of self – and viewing narratives as reflections of these, we can study the emergence of a sense of self by way of exploring the SMALL stories people tell in their EVERYDAY interactions

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