Feminist psychology, conversation analysis and empirical research

An illustration using identity categories

Authors

  • Ann Weatherall Victoria University of Wellington

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/genl.v1i2.279

Keywords:

discourse analysis, discursive psychology, gender essentialism, language research, membership categorisation analysis

Abstract

Drawing on feminist psychology and conversation analysis, this paper argues in support of an empirical programme that pays close attention to the details of talk while avoiding assumptions of gender essentialism. A short data fragment is presented. The analysis points to the kind of interpretation relying on speakers’ identities that has been the target of much recent critique by gender and language scholars. It also illustrates a membership categorisation analysis of the data. The question posed is why the age and gender identity categories get used in the way they do. The analysis shows that the form and serial position of the identity categories within a single utterance produces a commonsense knowledge, albeit local and idiosyncratic, of age and gender.

Author Biography

  • Ann Weatherall, Victoria University of Wellington

    School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington P.O. Box 600, Wellington New Zealand

Published

2007-10-23

Issue

Section

Research Notes

How to Cite

Weatherall, A. (2007). Feminist psychology, conversation analysis and empirical research: An illustration using identity categories. Gender and Language, 1(2), 279-290. https://doi.org/10.1558/genl.v1i2.279