genesis of ‘the subject’ in narrative - discursive practices ?

1. genesis of ‘the subject’in narrative - discursive practices? Michael Bamberg • Is it possible to use narrative discourse as a ‘foundational basis for “the subject” and “subjectivity”? • what are the implications? • what could be gained? • “THE” subject and subjectivity - narrative discourse • Example (“Heidi used to call me her little honey”) • Wrap up (how ‘narrative discourse’ contributes) APA 2006 language and subjectivity in culture --- clinical perspectives and narrative psychologies

2. “the subject” and ‘subjectivity’ Why are we interested in “subjectivity”? • definitions ??? • from the native’s point of view <ethnographic orientation> • subject as agent vs. subject as ‘subjected’ • issue of accountability and responsibility • But why privileging ‘the subject’? • does s/he have privileged access to her self (experience, life, identity)? • NOT APRIORI

3. Subjectivity (cont.) • We value ‘personal’ experience/life of the native as a countermoveto traditional ‘objectification’(where the researcher/therapist are in the privileged position to look “behind” the native) • “Crediting personal experience” -- a new platform between ‘objectification’ and ‘subjectification’ with a re-definition of the researcher/therapist-subject relationship

4. story • People/the person/subjects as having experiences, a life - and having a story to tell (about these experiences and their life) • These stories we hear (coz they are shared with me) - and we work from there • PROBLEM: • downplaying/idealizing the conditions under which stories are shared • as if the subject is ‘dialoging’ with herself <“perfect interview conditions”> (the subject is exploring her most inner/deepest self) <<by means of reflection>> • Stories as accounts

5. storying and accounting • Stories and their ‘formal’ features • Stories as text (and their interpretation as texts) • The functions of storytelling • Giving accounts of what happened, why it happened - recipient designed • Stories as discursive practices • interpretation of interpersonal accomplishments - as something that is told IN CONTEXT - for interactive purposes • Speaker-alignment - with audience and master narratives (‘positioning’)

6. story-analysis • not the ‘aboutness’ of narrator’s experience or life - not speaker’s reflections on her ‘most-inner-self’ - not tapping into the narrator “dialoging with herself” • rather aligning with her audience and master narratives - and in THIS process constituting a ‘sense of self’ - a subjectivity • Analytically capturing (or participating) in this process - and micro-analytically describing it

8. Heidi used to call me her little honey for some STRANGE REASON we used to go to preschool together, right and there was that big mat like it was a big pillow in the little in the reading area and I used to like to get there wicked early cause my Dad used to work for the city, right and I used to hide in that pillow so Heidi couldn't find me, right and she used to run up there and she used to pounce on the ball she said Victor I'M GONNA FIND YOU and then I just sit there going oughhhh <ducking down – shaking hands> <short pause> <little laughter>

9. (1) B my ex-girlfriend had like 12 ex-ex-ex-ex boyfriends • she had 12 of them and she takes // the good stuff and she breaks up • Vic//Heidi used to call me her little honey • for some STRANGE REASON • (5) we used to go to preschool together, right • and there was that big mat • like it was a big pillow • in the little in the reading area • and I used to like to get there wicked early • (10) cause my Dad used to work for the city, right • and I used to hide in that pillow • so Heidi couldn't find me, right • and she used to run up there • and she used to pounce on the ball • (15) she said Victor I'M GONNA FIND YOU • and then I just sit there going oughhhh <ducking down – shaking hands> • <short pause> <little laughter> • but she was tall when she was in preschool • she was like // • (20) B //she is short now • Vic no she is huge Heidi Johnson • B yes to YOU • W she is taller she is shorter than //me • B //she's shorter than me • (25) Ma //shorter than me • Vic no she isn't Billie • she is taller than you • B neh • Vic I know I know //one girl who is taller than all of you • (30) B no Victor • Melanie • Vic no Gina • B you’re right • Mod //let let's not worry about that let's not worry about how tall she is but…

11. (1) B my ex-girlfriend had like 12 ex-ex-ex-ex boyfriends • she had 12 of them and she takes // the good stuff and she breaks up • Vic//Heidi used to call me her little honey • for some STRANGE REASON • (5) we used to go to preschool together, right • and there was that big mat • like it was a big pillow • in the little in the reading area • and I used to like to get there wicked early • (10) cause my Dad used to work for the city, right • and I used to hide in that pillow • so Heidi couldn't find me, right • and she used to run up there • and she used to pounce on the ball • (15) she said Victor I'M GONNA FIND YOU • and then I just sit there going oughhhh <ducking down – shaking hands> • <short pause> <little laughter> • but she was tall when she was in preschool • she was like // • (20) B //she is short now • Vic no she is huge Heidi Johnson • B yes to YOU • W she is taller she is shorter than //me • B //she's shorter than me • (25) Ma //shorter than me • Vic no she isn't Billie • she is taller than you • B neh • Vic I know I know //one girl who is taller than all of you • (30) B no Victor • Melanie • Vic no Gina • B you’re right • Mod //let let's not worry about that let's not worry about how tall she is but…

12. Stories as ‘constituting’ subjectivity • How so???? • Who is the agent in all this? • are stories “handed” to the person who speaks them (=the stories speak themselves) • are speakers agentively inventing their own stories (+ sense of who they are)? • Role of discursive practices

13. Story-telling asdiscursive practice • Stories as interactive (dialogical) accounting • language forms and discursive devices used to accomplish interactive accounting • interviews (clinical or biographic): no exception! • No direct link from the use of particular language/discourse to the mind/inner self • All interpretation has to go through an analysis of the local interactive accomplishments

14. Analyzing stories versus narrating • Stories & Life as ‘resource’ <the CANON> • We HAVE a life/story (to tell) (as resource) • “Life is meaningful coz it’s a story” • Stories as an Epistemology • anti-positivist methodology in the social sciences • Narrative as social interaction <narrating> • stories-in-interaction (= “small stories”) as ‘navigating’ through ‘interactive trouble’ (accounting) • stories are situated actions <with selves in interaction> • Ritualized/habitual performances - sedimented through iterative performances - hailing subjects into being • where subjectivities come to existence (EMERGE)

15. Kind of conclusion • Informing narrative inquiry approaches • reflecting ‘texts’ + ‘contexts’ • re-considering the use of stories in interviews • de-emphasizing stories as ‘method’ to crack subjectivity subjectivity as an emergent property ---analyzing ‘subjectivity’ by way of studying the SMALL STORIES people tell in their EVERYDAY interactions subjectivity as process �