Alle Publikationen
2018
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(2018): Die feinen Unterschiede. Kritik der gesellschaftlichen Urteilskraft. Unter Mitarbeit von Bernd Schwibs. 26. Auflage 2018. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp (Suhrkamp-Taschenbuch Wissenschaft)Keywords: Bourdieu, Bourdieus Habitustheorie, Einkommen / Beruf, Familiengeschichte, Favoriten, feine Unterschiede, Feld, Geschmack, Gestik/Mimik, Good manners, Habitus, Klasse, Kleidung, Körperhaltung, Macht, Modelle/Theorien, Rollen, Soziale Angemessenheit, Soziologie, Sprache, Status / biologische Marker
2017
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Harkins, Stephen G.; Williams, Kipling D.; Burger, Jerry M. (Hg.) (2017): The Oxford handbook of social influence. New York: Oxford University Press (Oxford library of psychology)
Abstract: "The study of social influence has been central to social psychology since its inception. In fact, research on social influence predated the coining of the term social psychology. Its influence continued through the 1960s, when it made seminal contributions to the beginning of social psychology's golden age. However, by the mid-1980s, interest in this area waned, while at the same time, and perhaps not coincidentally, interest in social cognition waxed. Now the pendulum is swinging back, as seen in growing interest in non-cognitive, motivational accounts. The Oxford Handbook of Social Influence will contribute to a resurgence of interest in social influence that will restore it to its once preeminent position. Written by leading scholars, the chapters cover a variety of topics related to social influence, incorporating a range of levels of analysis (intrapersonal, interpersonal, and intragroup) and both source (the influencers) and target (the influenced) effects. The volume also examines theories that are most relevant to social influence, as well as social influence in applied settings. The chapters contribute to the renaissance of interest in social influence by showing that it is time to reexamine classic topics in social influence; by illustrating how integrations/elaborations that advance our understanding of social influence processes are now possible; by revealing gaps in the social influence literature; and by suggesting future lines of research. Perhaps the most important of these lines of work will take into account the change from traditional social influence that occurs face-to-face to social media-mediated influence that is likely to characterize many of our interactions in the future"--The publisher.
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(2017): Kant, Oppression, and the Possibility of Nonculpable Failures to Respect Oneself. In: The Southern Journal of Philosophy 55 (3), S. 285-305. DOI: 10.1111/sjp.12242
Abstract: I argue that Kant's ethical framework cannot countenance a certain kind of failure to respect oneself that can occur within oppressive social contexts. Kant's assumption that any person, qua rational being, has guaranteed epistemic access to the moral law as the standard of good action and the capacity to act upon this standard makes autonomy an achievement within the individual agent's power, but this is contrary to a feminist understanding of autonomy as a relational achievement that can be thwarted by the systematic attack on autonomy that occurs within oppressive social conditions. Insofar as Kant's negative duty of self-respect is unable to accommodate the ways immersion in oppressive social environments can warp an individual's understanding of what she is owed and capable of as a moral agent, it perpetuates the cruelty of unjust social systems in the guise of respecting individual autonomy. I conclude by considering Carol Hay's argument that those who are oppressed have an obligation to themselves to resist their own oppression, in order to explore how this limitation in how Kant conceives of the duty to respect the self may reach expression in contemporary ethical theory inspired by Kant.
Keywords: agency, Autonomie, Diskriminierung, Disziplin, Ethik, feminism, Feminismus, Gender, Handlungsmacht, Hay, Kant, Macht, Modelle/Theorien, Moral, moral agents, moralische Gesetze, moralisches Wissen, Moralphilosophie, oppressive social systems, Philosophie, Respekt, social systems, ethics, Three main normative ethic perspectives Kant, Utilitarismus virtue ethics, Unterdrückungssysteme -
(2017): Perceived differences in social status between speaker and listener affect the speaker's vocal characteristics. In: PLoS one 12 (6). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179407
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28614413 Abstract: Non-verbal behaviours, including voice characteristics during speech, are an important way to communicate social status. Research suggests that individuals can obtain high social status through dominance (using force and intimidation) or through prestige (by being knowledgeable and skilful). However, little is known regarding differences in the vocal behaviour of men and women in response to dominant and prestigious individuals. Here, we tested within-subject differences in vocal parameters of interviewees during simulated job interviews with dominant, prestigious, and neutral employers (targets), while responding to questions which were classified as introductory, personal, and interpersonal. We found that vocal modulations were apparent between responses to the neutral and high-status targets, with participants, especially those who perceived themselves as low in dominance, increasing fundamental frequency (F0) in response to the dominant and prestigious targets relative to the neutral target. Self-perceived prestige, however, was less related to contextual vocal modulations than self-perceived dominance. Finally, we found that differences in the context of the interview questions participants were asked to respond to (introductory, personal, interpersonal), also affected their vocal parameters, being more prominent in responses to personal and interpersonal questions. Overall, our results suggest that people adjust their vocal parameters according to the perceived social status of the listener as well as their own self-perceived social status.
Keywords: Acoustic Stimulation, Adolescent, Adult, Auditory Perception/physiology, Diagnostic Self Evaluation, Female, fundamental frequency, Humans, Interviews as Topic/methods, Macht, Male, Middle Aged, Social Class, Social Perception, Socioeconomic Factors, Soziale Dominanz, Speech Acoustics, Speech/physiology, Status / biologische Marker, Stimme, Stimme / Prosodie, Voice/physiology, Young Adult -
(2017): Antioxidant allocation modulates sperm quality across changing social environments. In: PLoS one 12 (5). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176385
DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28472052 Abstract: In promiscuous species, male reproductive success depends on their ability to mate with fertile females and on the fertilizing ability of their sperm. In such species, theory predicts that, owing to a trade-off between pre- and post-copulatory reproductive traits, males with lesser access to females should increase resource investment into those sperm traits that enhance fertilization success-usually referred to as ejaculate quality. This prediction has been validated in several taxa, yet studies on the physiological mechanisms modulating ejaculate quality are lacking. Sperm cells are highly vulnerable to oxidative stress, which impairs male fertility. Therefore, males that better protect their sperm from oxidative stress are expected to achieve higher ejaculate quality. Based on theoretical expectations, and since social dominance is a major determinant of mating opportunity, we predicted that subordinate males should invest more into the antioxidant protection of their sperm in order to achieve higher ejaculate quality. We maintained 60 male and 60 female wild-caught house sparrows Passer domesticus in outdoor aviaries, where we experimentally manipulated male social status to test our predictions. We measured cellular oxidative stress and enzymatic antioxidant activity in blood and sperm both before and after manipulating social ranks. Before manipulating the social status, we found that ejaculate viability correlated with oxidative stress level in sperm, with dominant males producing more oxidized and less viable ejaculates. Further, males at the lower end of the hierarchy produced ejaculates of similar quality to those of dominant males, suggesting that restricted access to resources might limit male reproductive strategies. After experimentally manipulating the social status, males matched their ejaculate quality to their new rank, while increases in antioxidant investment into ejaculates paralleled increases in ejaculate viability. Oxidative stress has been proposed as a general constraint to the evolution of life histories. Our results highlight oxidative stress and strategic antioxidant allocation as important proximate physiological mechanisms underlying male reproductive strategies.
2016
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(2016): Chairing Meetings. Turn and Topic Control in Development Communication in Rural Zanzibar. In: Discourse & Society 9 (1), S. 33-56. DOI: 10.1177/0957926598009001002
Abstract: This paper presents a linguistic analysis of the roles and verbal contributions of chairwomen in two agricultural co-operatives in rural Zanzibar. Discourse analysis with a focus on realizations of politeness and powerless speech style is used to study two communicative events. In the first co-operative, the chairwoman controls the meeting through the allocation of turns and topics. as well as the use of her position and its privileges to persuade others of her opinion. In this context, the use of passive voice, subjunctive forms, hedges, the choice of pronouns and address forms is of specific interest to us. In the second co-operative, an Agricultural Extension Officer present in the meeting interferes. practically taking over the task of chairing the meeting. While the chairwoman is forced to defend her position, her irritation and uncertainty are ex pressed in contributions that contain several characteristics of a powerless speech style. At the same time, the chairwoman's reply to the intrusion shows commitment and emphasis on a point that is crucial to her. In Meeting Two presequences, false starts, changes in the word order, hedges. direct speech. choice of tense and address forms are particularly relevant.
Keywords: Anrede, Dialog/Konversation/Rede, Direktheit/direkte Rede, Fehlstarts/false starts, Heckenausdrücke/Hedges, Intervention/Unterbrechung etc., Konjunktiv/Subjunktiv, Macht, Passive Stimme, Powerless speech style, Presequences, Pronomen, Reihenfolge von Wörtern im Satz, Tempus/Zeitform/tense, time -
(2016): Status, Power and Ritual Interaction. A Relational Reading of Durkheim, Goffman and Collins. London: Taylor and Francis. Online verfügbar unter https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/gbv/detail.action?docID=4470503
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(2016): ON DECORUM. FROM THE CLASSICS TO POSTMODERNITY. In: QUAESTIO IURIS 9 (3)
Abstract: Considering that the observance of decorum is important to assure good human relationships, especially in the public sphere, and, also, that episodes of breach of decorum are recurrent in Brazilian public life, I propose to recover this classical concept, since its re-evaluation is opportune and urgent. I present therefore a historical revision of the concept of decorum starting from the classics and find that, although this concept has undergone changes, its fundamental aspect, the intimate connection with ethics, has been maintained until the present day. Evidence that this classical concept still survives is the existence, in many countries, of “codes of ethics and decorum” of legislative, judicial and other organs. I find, however, that this concept is sensitive to culture, which is proven in the contrastive analysis of a sample of episodes of the violation of decorum by judges of the American Supreme Court and of the Brazilian Supreme Court. I found that, although violations of Americans are less severe than Brazilians, the reactions of the media and American citizens are much more energetic, because decorum for the Americans is a value that they hold dear, while in Brazil it is a dead letter, lacking be ressurected. I also present some reflections on the arrogance of those who hold power, an attitude to which I attribute the cause of many occurrences of the breach of decorum nowadays.
Keywords: Brasilien, Breach of decorum, decorum, Decorum in der Öffentlichkeit, Ethik, Fehlverhalten, Gericht, Grenzen, Grenzüberschreitung, Judikative, Kommunikation, Kultur, Kulturvergleich, Macht, Medien, Medienwirksamkeit, Öffentliche, diskursive Aushandlung von Anstand, Öffentlicher Diskurs, Rechtswissenschaft, Rhetorik, Richter, Soziale Angemessenheit, Umgangsformen, USA, Werte -
(2016): Breaching or Building Social Boundaries?. In: Communication Research 25 (6), S. 689-715. DOI: 10.1177/009365098025006006
Abstract: Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is sometimes heralded for its power to break down social boundaries and to liberate individuals from social influence, group pressure, and status and power differentials that characterize much face-to-face interaction. We review research conducted within the framework of the social identity model of deindividuation effects (SIDE) demonstrating that this is not always the case. When communicators share a common social identity, they appear to be more susceptible to group influence, social attraction stereotyping, gender typing, and discrimination in anonymous CMC. Although CMC gives us the opportunity to traverse social boundaries, paradoxically, it can also afford these boundaries greater power, especially when they define self- and group identity.
Keywords: breach of social interaction, computervermittelte Kommunikation, Disziplin, doppelter Treffer, Favoriten, Im (wissenschaftlichen) Diskurs, Informations- & Kommunikationstechnik, Kommunikation, Macht, Mediationstheorie, Mensch-Technik-Relationen (MTR), Modelle/Theorien, Realtechnik, Reflexionen über MTR, Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects (SIDE), Soziale Angemessenheit, soziale Grenzen, Soziale Rolle, sozialer Einfluss, sozialer Status, Technik, Technikphilosophie, (Theory of) technological mediation, Überblick 2015
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(2015): Speaking Confidence. Bubble Denial as Market Authoritative Rhetorical Decorum. In: RHETORIC SOCIETY QUARTERLY 45 (2), S. 117-137
Abstract: From the early to mid 2000s, economists, pundits, and other commentators engaged in heated debate about the possibility of a bubble in the U.S. housing market. Prognosticating in a variety of public forums, debaters divided along largely ideological lines, with adherents of mainstream neoclassical economics producing a forceful narrative accord that a bubble was unlikely or impossible. Approaching this debate as a case of the powerful discourses that strive to keep markets intervention-free, this essay explores market bubbles as sites of discursive tension and professional stigma, seeking to understand how the allegation of a bubble imbricates expectations of decorum and provokes a constraining rhetorical response. With particular attention to the phenomenon of “bubble denial,” I highlight how rhetorical strategies of definition, insult, and risk dismissal functioned to sustain market confidence, discredit bubble predictors, and habituate decision makers to evolving market risk.
Keywords: Beeinflussung der Bewertung moralischer Urteile, Bewertung von sozialem Verhalten (/sozialer Angemessenheit), decorum, discredit, Einfluss von Angst/Risiko, house market, Immobilienblase, Macht, Medienwissenschaft, Observablen/Kriterien für sozial angemessenes Verhalten und dessen Bewertung -
(2015): Normativität und Macht. Zur Analyse sozialer Rechtfertigungsordnungen. Erste Auflage. Berlin: Suhrkamp (Suhrkamp-Taschenbuch Wissenschaft)
2014
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(2014): Habermas’ sociological theory of law and democracy. In: Philosophy & Social Criticism 40 (2), S. 225-234. DOI: 10.1177/0191453713518327
Abstract: In Between Facts and Norms (1996) Habermas presents the more straightforward normative discourse theory of law and democracy, in terms of contemporary legal orders, and then examines, in terms of social theory, whether the theory is plausible, given the complex nature of today's conditions. The following article focuses in particular on Habermas' social theory. It is critical of Habermas' idea of 'the lifeworld' and discusses whether the circulation-of-power model might be mapped onto the system-lifeworld model.
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(2014): Power and Politeness in the Workplace. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis (Routledge Linguistics Classics). Online verfügbar unter http://gbv.eblib.com/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=1798403
Abstract: Power and Politeness in the Workplace provides insights into the way we all talk at work. The book contains a wealth of material illustrating the way people communicate with each other in their ordinary everyday encounters in their workplaces. The analysis focuses, in particular, on how and why people ""do"" power and politeness in the workplace, and examines the discourse strategies involved in balancing the competing demands of meeting workplace objectives and getting things done on time with maintaining good collegial workplace relationships. Drawing on a large and very varied corpus of dat
2012
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(2012): Was heißt sprechen?. Die Ökonomie des sprachlichen Tausches. 2., erw. u. überarb. Aufl., unveränd. Nachdr. d. 2. Aufl., Wien Braumüller, 2005. Wien: New Academic Press
Abstract: Der Diskurs ist nicht nur eine Botschaft, die entziffert werden soll; er ist auch ein Produkt, das wir der Bewertung durch die anderen aussetzen und dessen Wert sich im Verhältnis zu anderen selteneren oder alltäglichen Produkten definiert. Die Konsequenzen dieses sprachlichen Marktes wirken sich bis in den gewöhnlichsten Austausch des täglichen Lebens aus. Denn Sprache ist nicht nur ein Mittel zur Kommunikation, sondern auch ein Indiz fürReichtum und ein Mittel der Herrschaft. Die Sozialwissenschaft muss versuchen, das zu beschreiben, was bei genauerem Nachdenken ein Stück Zauberei ist: Man kann durch Wörter, Befehle und Parolen handeln. Liegt die Kraft, die durch die Wörter wirkt, im Gesprochenen oder in den Sprechern ...? Lesen Sie nach bei Bourdieu!
2011
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(2011): What Korean apologies require of politeness theory. In: Journal of Pragmatics 43 (5), S. 1303-1317. DOI: 10.1016/j.pragma.2010.10.028
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2010.10.028 Abstract: This paper examines a corpus of Korean apologies to discover why a person apologizes and why they choose the form of apology that they do. It argues for an abstracted, generalized politeness1 model (Locher and Watts, 2005; Watts, 2003) in which politeness work in Korean is primarily concerned with relationship construction (Arundale, 2006; Haugh, 2007c; Matsumoto, 1988). This will involve both a notion of face, conceived as a psychological, acquired construct, and a set of frames (Terkourafi, 2005) that do not directly reference face. To arrive at this theoretical point, the paper begins by examining the social factors that influence choices in apology forms as predicted by Brown and Levinson (1987). Brown and Levinson’s model accurately predicts the relevance of many factors in form selection in Korean, such as relative power, social distance, and the severity of the act. However, the model itself is not an accurate model for Korean even in high abstraction. Instead of choosing a strategy based upon the weight of a face-threatening act, Koreans actively manage and create expectations for behavior in a relationship. Some expectations will resemble classic positive and negative face issues, while others will more directly reference culture-specific roles or common events.
Keywords: Angesicht, Apologies, Brown and Levinson's model, Distanz, Disziplin, Entschuldigung, Entschuldigungsforschung, Ernsthaftigkeit einer Situation, Erwartungen, Face, frames, Gesichtswahrung, Höflichkeit, Höflichkeitsforschung, Interaktionspartner, Korean, Kultur, Kulturelle Normen, Kulturspezifizität, Kulturtheorie, Linguistik, Macht, Politeness, Situationsbedingter Kontext, Sociolinguistics, Soziale Angemessenheit, Soziale Distanz, Soziale Hierarchie, Sozialer Abstand, Sprachgebrauch -
(2011): Status, power and ritual interaction. A relational reading of Durkheim, Goffman and Collins. Farnham: AshgateKeywords: Collins, Randall, Collins, Randall, 1941---Knowledge--Social psychology, Durkheim, Émile, Durkheim, Émile, 1858-1917--Knowledge--Social psychology, Goffman, Erving, Goffman, Erving--Knowledge--Social psychology, Macht, Power (Social sciences), Prestige, Ritual, social importance dynamics, Social interaction--Philosophy, Social psychology--Philosophy, Social status, Social status--Psychological aspects, Sozialstatus
2009
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(2009): Geschichte der Gouvernementalität. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp
2008
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Bousfield, Derek; Locher, Miriam A. (Hg.) (2008): Impoliteness in language. Studies on its interplay with power in theory and practice. Conference "Politeness: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Language and Culture". Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter (Language, power and social process)
Abstract: The volume addresses the enormous imbalance that exists between academic interest in politeness phenomena when compared to impoliteness phenomena. Researchers working with Brown and Levinson's ([1978] 1987) seminal work on politeness rarely focused explicitly on impoliteness. As a result, only one aspect of facework/relational work has been studied in detail. Next to this research desideratum, politeness research is on the move again, with alternative conceptions of politeness to those of Brown and Levinson being further developed. In this volume researchers present, discuss and explore the concept of linguistic impoliteness, the crucial differences and interconnectedness between lay understandings of impoliteness and the academic concept within a theory of facework/relational work, as well as the exercise of power that is involved when impoliteness occurs. The authors offer solid discussions of the theoretical issues involved and draw on data from political interaction, interaction with legally constituted authorities, workplace interaction in the factory and the office, code-switching and Internet practices. The collection offers inspiration for research on impoliteness in many different research fields, such as (critical) discourse analysis, conversation analysis, pragmatics and stylistics, as well as linguistic approaches to studies in conflict and conflict resolution.
Keywords: Aufsatzsammlungen, Brown & Levinson, Disziplin, Good manners, Höflichkeit, Höflichkeitsforschung, (Im)Politeness Research, Impoliteness, Interpersonal Relations, Kongress, Linguistik, Macht, Politeness (Linguistics), Power (Social sciences), Sammelband, Soziale Angemessenheit, Sprachverhalten, Überblick, Unhöflichkeit, Zweite Welle -
(2008) : Reflections on impoliteness, relational work and power In: Bousfield, Derek; Locher, Miriam A. (Hg.): Impoliteness in language: Studies on its interplay with power in theory and practice: Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter (Language, power and social process), S. 17-44
Abstract: Conclusion: This paper had the minimal aim of raising pertinent issues for future research. I shall briefly conclude this chapter with a list of those issues: One's understanding of the role of the speaker and hearer in communication is crucial. I would argue against privileging either of them. Metalinguistic labels such as "over-politeness" need full investigation, deploying, for example, the corpus linguistic techniques that characterise modern lexicography. Intentionality is a site of controversy in (im)politeness studies, as elsewhere in linguistics, though it is often poorly understood. My view is that it is an important part of communication, and a crucial part of impoliteness. An understanding of norms, in all their complexity, is a key to understanding much of (im)politeness. I think the distinction between experiential norms and social norms is particularly useful. Power connects with impoliteness in a number of different ways, including both the performance/perception of impoliteness in language and the broader context within which it is performed/perception. Researching impoliteness constitutes a considerable methodological challenge. This paper gives a glimpse of one corpus-related methodology.
Keywords: Disziplin, Favoriten, Frame, Höflichkeit, Höflichkeitsforschung, Höflichkeitsforschung der zweiten Welle, (Im)Politeness Research, Intentionalität, Linguistik, Macht, Modelle/Theorien, Politeness Theory and Relational Work, Rolle von Sprecher und Hörer, Soziale Angemessenheit, Soziale Normen, Sprachgebrauch, Zweite Welle 2005
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(2005): Language and symbolic power. Reprint. Cambridge u.a.: Polity Press
Abstract: This volume brings together Bourdieu's highly original writings on language and on the relations between language, power and politics. Bourdieu develops a forceful critique of traditional approaches to language, including the linguistic theories of Saussure and Chomsky and the theory of speech-acts elaborated by Austin and others. He argues that language should be viewed not only as a means of communication but also as a medium of power through which individuals pursue their interests and display their practical competence. Drawing on the concepts which are part of his distinctive theoretical approach, Bourdieu maintains that linguistic utterances or expressions can be understood as the product of the relation between a 'linguistic market' and a 'linguistic habitus'. When individuals produce linguistic expressions, they deploy accumulated resources and they implicitly adapt their expressions to the demands of the social field or market. Hence every linguistic interaction, however personal and insignificant they may seem, bears the traces of the social structure that it both expresses and helps to reproduce. Boudieu's account sheds fresh light on the ways in which linguistic usage varies according to considerations such as class and gender. It also opens up a new approach to the ways in which language is used in the domain of politics. For politics is, among other things, the site par excellence in which words are deeds and the symbolic character of power is at stake. This volume, by one of the leading social thinkers in the world today, represents a major contribution to the study of language and power. It will be of interest to students throughout the social sciences and humanities, especially in sociology, politics, anthropology, linguistics and literature.
2004
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(2004): Was ist machiavellische Intelligenz? Betrachtungen über eine wenig beachtete Seite unserer Psyche. In: Der Nervenarzt 75 (1), S. 1-5. DOI: 10.1007/s00115-003-1543-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00115-003-1543-0 Abstract: Aus ethologischer und evolutionspsychologischer Forschung geht immer deutlicher hervor, dass Intelligenz keine monolithische Funktionseinheit ist, sondern eine Reihe von Spezialfunktionen zur Lebensbewältigung umfasst, welche zum Teil sogar unterschiedliche evolutionäre Wurzeln aufweisen. Eine dieser Unterformen wird in Anlehnung an den italienischen Politiker und Schriftsteller aus dem 15. bzw. 16. Jahrhundert, Niccolo Machiavelli, "machiavellische Intelligenz" genannt. Sie ermöglicht soziale Manipulation im Dienste egoistischer Zielerreichung. Damit wird sie zur fassbaren psychologischen Grundlage der Machtausübung in sozialen Verbänden. Machiavellische Intelligenz kann sowohl bei höheren Primaten wie auch beim Menschen beobachtet und evaluiert, bei letzterem sogar gemessen werden.
Keywords: concept of Machiavellian intelligence, evidence from ethological & evolutionary psychological research, Evolution, Evolutionary Psychology, Evolutionspsychologie, Individual Differences, Individuelle Unterschiede, Intelligence, Intelligenz, Interpersonal Influences, Interpersonale Einflüsse, Machiavellianism, Machiavellismus, Macht, Personality Traits & Processes, Persönlichkeitseigenschaften und Persönlichkeitsprozesse, Persuasive Communication, Persuasive Kommunikation, POWER, social manipulation skills & egotism & power in social groups, Soziale Intelligenz -
(2004): Power and Politeness in Action. Disagreements in Oral Communication. Berlin, New York: De Gruyter Mouton
Abstract: This study investigates the interface of power and politeness in the realization of disagreements in naturalistic language data. Power and politeness are important phenomena in face-to-face interaction. Disagreement is an arena in which these two key concepts are likely to be observed together: both disagreement and the exercise of power entail a conflict, and, at the same time, conflict will often be softened by the display of politeness (defined as marked relational work). The concept of power is of special interest to the field of linguistics in that language is one of the primary means to exercise power. Often correlated with status and regarded as an influential aspect of situated speech, the workings of the exercise of power, however, have rarely been formally articulated. This study provides a theoretical framework within which to analyze the observed instances of disagreement and their co-occurrence with the exercise of power and display of politeness. In this framework, a checklist of propositions that allow us to operationalize the concept of power and identify its exercise in naturalistic linguistic data is combined with a view of language as socially constructed. A qualitative approach is used to analyze the concepts of power and politeness. The material for analysis comes from three different contexts: (1) a sociable argument in an informal, supportive and interactive family setting, (2) a business meeting among colleagues within a research institution, and (3) examples from public discourse collected during the US Election 2000.
2001
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(2001): Psyche der Macht. Das Subjekt der Unterwerfung. Orig.-Ausg., Dt. Erstausg., 1. Aufl.. Berlin, Germany: Suhrkamp Verlag (Edition Suhrkamp)
1996
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(1996): Dominance, Deference, and Egalitarianism in Organizational Interaction. A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Power and Politeness. In: Organization Science 7 (5), S. 544-556. DOI: 10.1287/orsc.7.5.544
Abstract: Organizational literature has long presumed that power is communicated and enacted through behaviors exchanged at the level of face-to-face interaction. Little research, however, has investigated this aspect of power. The author explores how power is embedded in manners of speech exchanged in everyday interaction among superiors and subordinates. He draws upon the sociolinguistic theory of ''politeness''. Politeness, linguistic behaviors used to demonstrate regard and consideration for others, is hypothesized to be sensitive to the social distribution of power. Low power actors are most likely to use linguistic politeness behaviors because such behaviors minimize the possibility of conflict with superiors. Results of a laboratory study confirm that politeness behaviors are sensitive to the distribution of formal authority in organizations. When superiors use politeness, they are more likely than subordinates to employ a subtype of politeness that demonstrates consideration by intimating social familiarity and camaraderie. The hypothesis that egalitarian values moderate the overall effect of power politeness is not supported, perhaps because of the constraints of the experimental situation. Overall, the study demonstrates how abstractions such as authority and equality can be measured in terms of the manners of comportment that actors bring to bear on one another in face-to-face contexts. Given the possibility that egalitarianism can be operationalized at a linguistic level of analysis, the findings have important ramifications for the study of the presumed status leveling associated with programs of workplace participation. The study broadly shows how sociolinguistic perspectives can contribute to our understanding of organizational phenomena.
1994
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(1994): Hotel culture and social-control. In: Annals of Tourism Research 21 (1), S. 65-80
Abstract: This paper examines key sociological perspectives on hotels. Two main issues are considered: the role of the hotel as an agent of social exclusion, and the extent to which hotels place constraints on interaction between guests. A necessary link exists between these two. Hotels as agents of social control need to ensure that guests receive individual attention. For economic reasons, however, “attention” must be delivered collectively. To sustain the impression that guests are recipients of personal attention, mechanisms of control are required to contain spatial and social order, interaction, and decorum. This article identifies these mechanisms, exploring their consequences for a theoretical conceptualization of hotels.