Morality in Discourse

Reviews / Votes

Centering on the discursive construction and interactional negotiation of morality in a variety of social contexts and practices, this edited collection fills a significant gap in sociolinguistics and discursive approaches to this social issue. With this important and timely volume, Michael Haugh and Rosina Marquez Reiter provide an arena for cross-pollination among different approaches in the field of discourse studies and open the way for further investigations of morality in discourse. A foundational read for sociolinguists and discourse analysis interested in the discursive enactment of normativities. * Anna De Fina, Georgetown University * While morality has been considered as a foundation of the social world in philosophy and sociology since their very beginnings, it is only more recently that an orientation to moral issues has widely become to be recognized as being intrinsic to social interaction. Using the methodological tools of various strands of pragmatics, the contributions to this volume show how moral stances and evaluations are ascribed, negotiated and presupposed in often very subtle and hidden ways in social interaction. Both the ubiquity and the contextual sensitivity of moral concerns of everyday conduct are marvellously articulated in detailed studies of a stunning variety of social fields. The volume is a must-read for everybody interested in the foundations of the interactional order. * Arnulf Depperman, Leibniz-Institut fuer Deutsche Sprache, Mannheim, Germany * Yes, the topic of morality is not new in academia, having been discussed in anthropology, sociology, psychology and more. Yes, there have been some studies looking at morality and language / discourse. But, no, nobody - until now - has drawn the language threads together, creating a tapestry of scholarly riches. This volume encompasses speech acts, communicative environments, participants and more, across a particularly broad range of areas - from domestic abuse through politics to social media. It insightfully, subtlety and critically examines their engagement with morality, and in the process sets a research agenda for the future. * Jonathan Culpeper, Lancaster University * Morality in Discourse is a welcome addition to the growing "moral turn" across the social sciences and humanities. As the editors, Michael Haugh and Rosina Marquez Reiter, point out, if we take seriously the idea that morality saturates everyday experience, then it is crucial that we give close, scrupulous attention to the ebb and flow of language use in ordinary interactions. This volume does an excellent job of showing how it's done and what the payoff can be. * Webb Keane, University of Michigan * In the past decade the study of morality has been systematically rethought by researchers who have focused on the way moral concerns are embedded in a range of intricate ways in unfolding talk. Morality in this arena is bound up with knowledge, asymmetry and issues of affiliation and interactional alignment. Haugh and Marquez Reiter's collection is an important and welcome addition to this literature, developing some of its fundamental themes in a range of different settings, cultures and modalities (as varied as romantic partner talk, political disagreement, Indian hip hop). This is essential reading for anyone concerned with the current state of the art in this field. * Jonathan Potter, Rutgers University * Accountability and responsibility have been part of discourse-analytical awareness for quite a while. Morality in Discourse provides them with a solid theoretical home, the much-needed step to build upon. * Jef Verschueren, University of Antwerp *