Discourse and Identity

Identity is a central organizing feature of our social world, and its conceptualization and description has undergone a radical shift since the 1980s. What was traditionally theorized as a unified, coherent, cognitive phenomenon regulated by the self is now treated as a fluid, dynamic and shifting construct that is constituted in discourse. This constructionist and discursive frame for studying identity forms the basis of this text. Readers are introduced to a diverse range of methodological frameworks, including conversation analysis, membership categorization analysis, narrative theory and critical discourse analysis, all of which emphasize the way in which identities are constituted through acts and contexts of communication. Using a range of stimulating and diverse textual examples, from personal advertisements to neighbourhood dispute data, the text offers an accessible insight into the study of the "discursive construction of identity" and how to begin analysing it, from different perspectives and in different contexts. The book presents a detailed engagement with written and spoken texts, including the presentation and explicit application of analytical frameworks that students can replicate in their own studies.