Robles 2018 JLSP accepted version.pdf (510.36 kB)
Download fileBuilding 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.
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