Building up by tearing down

This paper analyzes mockery sequences among a group of friends to examine how this discursive practice mobilizes categories to manage stances toward differences and to construct group norms and boundaries. Using discourse analysis, I inspect how non-seriously tearing down or jocularly teasing/mocking participants within a peer group manages the practical problem of ingroup difference by reaffirming shared stances and norms around masculinity. The analysis highlights some of the ways in which groups navigate difference and identity moment-to-moment in interaction, showing how the moral organization of ingroup and outgroup assessments are built in the mundane world of conversation.