Identity in (Inter)action: Introducing Multimodal (Inter)action Analysis

✍ Scribed by Sigrid Norris

• Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 316
• Series: Trends in Applied Linguistics [TAL]; 4
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

In this monograph, the author offers a new way of examining the much discussed notion of identity through the theoretical and methodological approach called multimodal interaction analysis. Moving beyond a traditional discourse analysis focus on spoken language, this book expands our understanding of identity construction by looking both at language and its intersection with such paralinguistic features as gesture, as well as how we use space in interaction. The author illustrates this new approach through an extended ethnographic study of two women living in Germany. Examples of their everyday interactions elucidate how multimodal interaction analysis can be used to extend our understanding of how identity is produced and negotiated in context from a more holistic point of view.

✦ Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1 Multimodal (Inter)action Analysis
1.1 Multimodal (Inter)action Analysis: Some Background
1.2 From Discourse Analysis to Multimodal (Inter)action Analysis
1.2.1 Discourse Analysis: Example 1
1.2.2 Discourse Analysis: The Problem
1.2.3 Multimodal (Inter)action Analysis: Example 1 Revisited
1.2.4 Is Identity Visible?
1.2.5 Discourse Analysis: Example 2
1.2.6 Multimodal (Inter)action Analysis: Example 2 Revisited
1.3 Moving Towards a Holistic Analysis
1.3.1 A Holistic Analysis: Some Implications
1.4 Structure of the Book
Chapter 2 Identity in (Inter)action: Theoretical Concepts
2.1 Identity: A Discussion
2.2 Is Identity Intentional?
2.3 Multimodal (Inter)action Analysis: Theory
2.3.1 Action
2.3.2 Mediational Means or Cultural Tools
2.3.3 Site of Engagement
2.3.4 Practice and Nexus of Practice
2.4 Foreground-Background Continuum
2.4.1 Frame Analysis of Focused Interactions
2.4.2 Foreground, Mid-Ground, and Background
2.4.3 Foreground-Background Continuum: A New Notion for (Inter)action and Identity
2.5 Site of Engagement, Action, the Foreground-Background Continuum, and Identity
Chapter 3 Collecting and Transcribing Ethnographic Data: A Case Study of Two Women Living in Germany
3.1 Data Collection: What Was Collected for This Study?
3.1.1 Creative Writing about the Participants as One Data Collection Method
3.1.2 An Average Day in the Field
3.2 What Does Creative Writing Add to Descriptive Field Notes, Collected Texts, Audio and Video Recordings?
3.3 The Participants
3.3.1 Andrea: A Self-Description
3.3.2 Anna: A Self-Description
3.4 Collecting and Transcribing Multimodal Data
3.4.1 Multimodal Data
3.4.2 Multimodal Transcription
3.4.3 What Is a Transcript?
3.5 A Flexible Transcription System
3.5.1 Some Conventions: Spoken Language
3.5.2 Some Conventions: Proxemics
3.5.3 Some Conventions: Posture
3.5.4 Some Conventions: Gesture
3.5.5 A Need to Transcribe Qualitatively
3.5.6 The Flexible Component in Multimodal Transcription
3.5.7 Some Flexible Conventions: Modal Relationships in Interaction
3.5.8 Modal Configurations of Actions
3.6 Modal Hierarchies: Considerations for Transcription
Chapter 4 Modal Density, Actions, and Identity
4.1 Focused Actions and Phenomenological Identity Production
4.1.1 High Modal Density: Intensity of a Mode
4.1.2 High Modal Density: Modal Complexity
4.1.3 High Modal Density: Intensity Plus Modal Complexity
4.2 Mid-Grounded Actions and Phenomenological Identity Production
4.2.1 Medium Modal Density: Intensity of a Mode
4.2.2 Medium Modal Density: Modal Complexity
4.2.3 Medium Modal Density: Intensity Plus Modal Complexity
4.3 Backgrounded Actions and Phenomenological Identity Production
4.3.1 Low Modal Density: Intensity of a Mode
4.3.2 Low Modal Density: Modal Complexity
4.3.3 Low Modal Density: Intensity Plus Modal Complexity
4.4 Modal Density: A Relational Notion
4.4.1 Modal Density, Matched and Mismatched Attention Levels
4.5 Interview, Site of Engagement, Action, and Modal Density
4.5.1 Higher-Level Action: Personal Identity
4.5.2 Higher-Level Action: Family Identity
4.5.3 Higher-Level Action: Friend Identity
4.5.4 Higher-Level Action: Italian Identity
4.5.5 Higher-Level Action: Caterer Identity
4.6 Site of Engagement, Interview, Actions, and Identity
Chapter 5 Horizontal Identity Production; and Mastery and Appropriation of Identity Elements
5.1 Horizontal Interwoven Identity Elements
5.1.1 Focused Higher-Level Actions and Parallel Identity Element Production
5.1.2 Matched and Mismatched Levels of Attention in Interactions
5.2 Identity: Mastery and Appropriation
5.2.1 Magazines and Identity Production
5.3 Interview and Horizontal Identity Production
5.3.1 Foregrounded Family Identity Element
5.3.2 Foregrounded Personal Identity Element
5.3.3 Foregrounded Divorcee Identity Element
5.3.4 Foregrounded National Identity Element
5.3.5 Foregrounded International Identity Element
5.3.6 Identity beyond the Foreground: Simultaneous Identity Element Production
5.3.7 Identity Produced through Micro and Macro Actions
5.4 Transcription of Macro Data
Chapter 6 Vertical Identity Production
6.1 Identity and Layers of Discourse
6.2 Outer Layers of Discourse: Producing a General Identity Element
6.2.1 Two Divergent Outer Layers of Discourse
6.2.2 General Identity
6.3 Intermediary Layer of Discourse: Producing a Continuous Identity Element
6.3.1 Continuous Identity
6.4 The Central Layer of Discourse: Producing an Immediate Identity Element
6.4.1 Immediate Identity
6.5 General Identity: Coercion or Agency?
6.6 Continuous Identity: Coercion or Agency?
6.7 Immediate Identity: Coercion or Agency?
6.8 Layers of Discourse, Actions, and Modes
6.9 Vertical and Horizontal Identity Production
Chapter 7 Shifting Identity, Saliency of Identity, and Identity Change
7.1 Higher-Level Discourse Structure: Identity Shifts
7.1.1 Theoretical Background
7.2 Semantic/Pragmatic Means: The Beat
7.3 Semantic/Pragmatic Means: The Head Toss
7.3.1 Shopping in an Italian Supermarket
7.3.2 Head Toss: Shift in Focus and Shift in Foregrounded Identity Element
7.4 Semantic/Pragmatic Means: The Hand/Finger Beat
7.4.1 Writing Shopping Lists
7.4.2 Hand/Finger Beat: Shift in Focus and Shift in Foregrounded Identity Element
7.5 Semantic/Pragmatic Means: Deictics
7.5.1 Deictic Gaze Plus Talk
7.5.2 Deictic Motion Plus Talk
7.6 Signaling System: A Discussion
7.7 Saliency of Identity Elements
7.8 Identity Change
7.8.1 Initial Identity Element: Wife
7.8.2 Auxiliary Identity Element: Artist
7.8.3 From Initial to New Identity Element: Divorcee
7.9 Self-Perception of Identity
Chapter 8 Stabilizing Identity
8.1 Stabilizing Identity: An Overview
8.2 Person Identity: Anna
8.2.1 Person Identity: Anna’s Habitus
8.2.2 Stabilizing Person Identity: Higher-Level, Lower-Level, and Frozen Actions
8.3 Stabilizing Person Identity: Interweaving Identity Elements
8.4 Stabilizing Person Identity: A Discussion
8.5 Stabilization of Person Identity: Complex Links
Chapter 9 Investigating Identity in (Inter)action
9.1 Determining Identity Elements
9.2 The Need for Ethnography and Inclusion of Creative Data
9.3 Differentiating Concepts
9.4 Investigating Identity in (Inter)action through Multimodal (Inter)action Analysis
References
Index