‘A good old argument’: the discursive construction of family and research through argumentation

This thesis utilises Discourse Analysis to explore argumentation as a discursive tool in the construction of social life. Focusing upon family argumentation, an indepth empirical analysis is performed upon the single case study of the researcher's own family. Discourse Analysis has traditionally assumed that argumentation is generally avoided by speakers. In this thesis, the enthusiastic, creative, and sociable pursuit of argument is highlighted. Disagreement and argument are seen to initiate topics and topic change and to impassion interaction. Furthermore, sociable argument is celebrated for its conflict-handling abilities. [Continues.]