Cover not available
Article published In:
Narrative Inquiry
Vol. 27:1 (2017) ► pp.85–108

Story sequencing and stereotyping

A case study from talk about the crowded buses of China

 | York University
 | York University
Over the last decade, sometimes violent conflicts have erupted between generations in China over who should have a seat on a crowded bus. Through a small story approach to an extended sequence of Chinese bus stories, this study examines how elder-blaming comes to be instantiated in talk-in-interaction. The analysis elaborates Deppermann's finding that cooperative in-group bonding is not the sole reason that out-group stereotypes are instantiated: competition among interactants as they “top” one another’s stories also plays an important part. We nuance this, first, by pointing to actions that are simultaneously cooperative and competitive. Second, we foreground how the interactional troubles of our storytellers fundamentally revolve around issues of epistemic accountability and, in turn, are assuaged by cooperative epistemic acts, in which stereotyping and story "topping" entwine.
Keywords: small stories, narrative analysis, story topping, epistemics, social memory, identity, stereotyping, ageism, Chinese buses
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Methods
    • Data
    • Analytic approach
  • Analyses
    • The identity work of talk about crowded buses
    • Identity challenges and disruptions
    • Topping the earlier story, renewing group identity work
    • The peak of both plotting and stereotyping
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References


This article is currently available as a sample article.

Published online: 3 August 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.27.1.05bis
References (56)
References
Arminen, I. (2004). Second stories: The salience of interpersonal communication for mutual help in Alcoholics Anonymous. Journal of Pragmatics, 36(2), 319–347. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bamberg, M. (2004). Talk, small stories, and adolescent identities. Human Development, 47(6), 366–369. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2006). Stories: Big or small: Why do we care? Narrative Inquiry, 16(1), 139–147. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bamberg, M., & Georgakopoulou, A. (2008). Small stories as a new perspective in narrative and identity analysis. Text & Talk, 28(3), 377–396. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bromberg, J. B. (2012). Uses of conversational narrative: Exchanging personal experience in everyday life. Narrative Inquiry, 22(1), 165–172. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Chen, H. (Producer), & Chen, K. (Director). (2012). Caught in the web [Motion picture]. China: 21th Century Shengkai Entertainment Co., Ltd.Google Scholar
Ci, J. (2014). Moral China in the age of reform. New York: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Clark, H. H. (1992). Arenas of language use. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Cohen, S. (2002). Folk devils and moral panics: The creation of the Mods and Rockers. London: Macgibbon and Kee.Google Scholar
Corrigan, P. (1993). Answering back: Power struggles in story and speech. In P. Ahonen (Ed.), Tracing the semiotic boundaries of politics (pp. 103–120). Berlin, DE: Walter de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
De Fina, A. (2008). Who tells which story and why? Micro and macro contexts in narrative. Text & Talk, 28(3), 421–442. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
De Fina, A., & Perrino, S. (2011). Introduction: Interviews vs. “natural” contexts: A false dilemma. Language in Society, 40(Special Issue 01), 1–11. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
De Fina, A., Schiffrin, D., & Bamberg, M. (2006). Introduction. In A. De Fina, D. Schiffrin, & M. Bamberg (Eds.), Discourse and identity (pp. 1–23). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Deppermann, A. (2007). Using the other for oneself: Conversational practices of representing out-group members among adolescents. In M. Bamberg, A. De Fina, & D. Schiffrin (Eds.), Selves and identities in narrative and discourse (pp. 273–301). Amsterdam, NL: John Benjamins Publishing Company. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Duranti, A., & Goodwin, C. (Eds.). (1992). Rethinking context: Language as an interactive phenomenon. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Edwards, D., & Potter, J. (1992). Discursive psychology. London, UK: Sage.Google Scholar
Fauna. (2014, September 10). Old man slaps youth for not giving up seat, then suddenly dies. chinaSMACK. Retrieved from [URL]
Gao, Z., & Bischoping, K. (2015, August). Identity, memory, and stigmatization of Chinese elders. Paper presented at the annual convention of American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada.
Georgakopoulou, A. (2007). Small stories, interaction and identities. Amsterdam, NL: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goodwin, C. (1987). Forgetfulness as an interactive resource. Social Psychology Quarterly, 50(2), 115–130. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hammersley, M. (2003). Conversation analysis and discourse analysis: Methods or paradigms? Discourse & Society, 14(6), 751–781. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Haworth, K. (2006). The dynamics of power and resistance in police interview discourse. Discourse & Society, 17(6), 739–759. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Heritage, J., & Raymond, G. (2005). The terms of agreement: Indexing epistemic authority and subordination in talk-in-interaction. Social Psychology Quarterly, 68(1), 15–38. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hesketh, T., & Zhu, W. X. (1997). The one child family policy: The good, the bad, and the ugly. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 314(7095), 1685–1687. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jefferson, G. (2004). Glossary of transcript symbols with an introduction. In G. H. Lerner (Ed.), Conversation analysis: Studies from the first generation (pp. 13–31). Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Johanson, M. (2011, December 6). Stars vs. airlines: The autumn of celebrity air rage. International Business Times. International Business Times. Retrieved from [URL]
Kaixin Mahua group. (Writer), & Yan, F., Peng, D. (Director). (2014). To help, or not help? [TV show]. Beijing, China: CCTV New Year’s Gala.Google Scholar
Koriat, A., Adiv, S., & Schwarz, N. (2015). Views that are shared with others are expressed with greater confidence and greater fluency independent of any social influence. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 20(2), 176–193. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Koven, M. (2011). Comparing stories told in sociolinguistic interviews and spontaneous conversation. Language in Society, 40(Special Issue 01), 75–89. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Labov, W. (1997). Some further steps in narrative analysis. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 7(1–4), 395–415. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Labov, W., & Waletzky, J. (1967). Narrative analysis: Oral versions of personal experience. In J. Helm (Ed.), Essays on the verbal and visual arts (pp. 12–44). Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press.Google Scholar
Liinamaa, S. (2009). Complaining communities: Complaints choirs worldwide. Public, (39), 129–137.Google Scholar
Lumme-Sandt, K., & Virtanen, P. (2002). Older people in the field of medication. Sociology of Health & Illness, 24(3), 285–304. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mazeland, H., & Ten Have, P. (1996). Essential tensions in (semi-) open research interviews. In I. Maso & F. Wester (Eds.), The deliberate dialogue: Qualitative perspectives on the interview (pp. 87–113). Brussels, BE: VUB University Press.Google Scholar
McKee, R. (1997). Story: Substance, structure, style and the principles of screenwriting. New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins.Google Scholar
Middleton, D., & Edwards, D. (1990a). Conversational remembering: A social psychological approach. In D. Middleton & D. Edwards (Eds.), Collective remembering (pp. 23–45). London, UK: Sage.Google Scholar
(1990b). Introduction. In D. Middleton & D. Edwards (Eds.), Collective remembering (pp. 1–22). London, UK: Sage.Google Scholar
Moerman, M. (1988). Talking culture: Ethnography and conversation analysis. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Moita-Lopes, L. P. (2006). On being white, heterosexual and male in a Brazilian school: Multiple positionings in oral narratives. In A. De Fina, D. Schiffrin, & M. Bamberg (Eds.), Discourse and identity (pp. 288–313). New York, N.Y.: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mu, H. (2000). Wishing that Beijing would treat outsiders gently. Popular Tribune, (2), 22–23.Google Scholar
Myers, G., & Lampropoulou, S. (2012). Impersonal you and stance-taking in social research interviews. Journal of Pragmatics, 44(10), 1206–1218. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Peng, P., & Zhou, X. (2003). Giving up one’s seat: A reflection of morality. People’s Tribune, (11), 37–39.Google Scholar
Pomerantz, A. (1986). Extreme case formulations: A way of legitimizing claims. Human Studies, 9(2–3), 219–229. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Potter, J., & Wetherell, M. (1987). Discourse and social psychology: Beyond attitudes and behaviour. London, UK: Sage.Google Scholar
Qin, Z. (2013, November 25). Have elders become bad, or have the bad people become old? People’s Court Daily.Google Scholar
Roberts, L. D., & Indermaur, D. (2005). Social issues as media constructions: The case of “road rage.” Crime, Media, Culture, 1(3), 301–321. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ross, M., & Buehler, R. (1994). Creative remembering. In U. Neisser & R. Fivush (Eds.), The remembering self: Construction and accuracy in the self-narrative (pp. 205–235). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sacks, H. (1995). Lectures on conversation. (G. Jefferson, Ed.). New York, NY: Blackwell. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Stivers, T., Mondada, L., & Steensig, J. (2011). Knowledge, morality and affiliation in social interaction. In T. Stivers, L. Mondada, & J. Steensig (Eds.), The morality of knowledge in conversation (pp. 3–26). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–74). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.Google Scholar
Tannen, D. (2007). Talking voices: Repetition, dialogue, and imagery in conversational discourse (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Thomas, W. I., & Thomas, D. S. T. (1928). The child in America: Behavior problems and programs. New York, N.Y.: Knopf.Google Scholar
Wang, J. (Photographer). (2004). I am not seeing it [digital image]. Retrieved from [URL]
Wu, R.-J. R. (2004). Stance in talk: A conversation analysis of Mandarin final particles. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wu, S., & Wu, Q. (2013). Migrant youths in Beijing: a life history analysis of class reproduction. China Journal of Social Work, 6(1), 52–68. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Zhang, N. (Photographer). (2005). Indifference [digital image]. Retrieved from [URL]
Cited by (4)

Cited by four other publications

Coniam, David & Peter Falvey
2022. Theoretical Underpinning, Methodology, Research Questions—For Chapters 4 and 5. In Academic Publishing [SpringerBriefs in Education, ], ► pp. 23 ff. DOI logo
Coniam, David & Peter Falvey
2022. History of a Paper. In Academic Publishing [SpringerBriefs in Education, ], ► pp. 69 ff. DOI logo
Thomas, M’Balia
2020. Rendering the untellable, tellable. Narrative Inquiry 30:2 ► pp. 364 ff. DOI logo
Gao, Zhipeng & Katherine Bischoping
2018. The Emergence of an Elder-Blaming Discourse in Twenty-First Century China. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology 33:2 ► pp. 197 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 25 october 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.