London
United Kingdom
It is our pleasure to invite you to our first talk in this year's Open DiscourseNet Seminar, London. Please read how to register below!
Lise Fontaine (Cardiff University) will speak on the 28th of October 2022, 1-2pm BST.
Reference in reconciliation discourse
Work on reference sometimes suggests that participant identification is to some extent clear or consistent. However, some instances pose particular challenges since referential boundaries may be fluid, particularly, for example, through group reference (e.g. we). Discourses of reconciliation have to cope with historical us vs them groupings while attempting to move, to some extent at least, towards a position of inclusion. This talk will focus on how discourse participants are referenced both in terms of referential choice and the clausal function of the expression in a narrative account from an Indian residential school survivor. We will examine how this account contributes to our understanding of the experiences of Aboriginal Canadians. Through the analysis, I will show how the account gives voice simultaneously to an individual and a speech fellowship, playing a role in redress that affects many who have not been heard. Using the retelling of individual past truths as shared in the Reconciliation Canada Report (2017), I will discuss how analysing participants in these recounts contributes to a shared feeling, while also signalling aspects of the process for the individual. The combined effect of referential choice and the participant configuration in which it is used can be a very powerful combination. If time permits, we will consider ways in which this method might also provide insight into other areas where reconciliatory discourse would be useful (e.g. polemic discourses such as positions on Brexit, vaccinations, etc.).
The next talks will be on 02/12/22, 27/01/23, 24/02/23, 31/03/23, 28/04/23, 26/05/23, 30/06/23 at 1pm. The programme will be send out in due time. To join our seminars, you will need to be logged into your discourseanalysis.net account (you may create one for free on the top right, which may take two days) and then go to https://discourseanalysis.net/DN/seminars/OpenDNLondon and click 'Join Group' on the top left-hand side. You will then receive seminar announcements via email. We will send out unique Zoom links via email to all members of this group on the day before each seminar is scheduled. Note that we will video record all seminars. By joining our seminars, all participants agree that the recording can be made public. If you have friends and colleagues who you think might be interested, please ask them to sign up on our webpage by Thursday evening to receive the Zoom link.
We are looking forward to having stimulating discussions with you!
Johannes (Angermuller), Michael (Kranert), Stefanie (Schneider), Jaspal (Singh)