Discoursal Construction of Academic Identity in Cyberspace

Discoursal Construction of Academic Identity in Cyberspace PDF

Author: Małgorzata Sokół

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2011-10-18

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 1443834882

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The aim of this volume is to look into how academic identity is discoursally constructed in CMC (computer-mediated communication), using the example of an e-seminar. An e-seminar is an asynchronous type of CMC, where private, public and institutional domains merge, and therefore it provides an interesting context for exploring academic communication phenomena in cyberspace. The linguistic cues of academic identity can be identified on three levels of discourse organisation: the features of lexico-grammar, textual macrostructures and genres. In general, the analysis shows how these three levels of discourse organisation contribute towards how academics negotiate their identities relative to the aims and activities of their discourse communities and relative to their individual goals. The discoursal construction of academic identity in electronic discourse depends also on such factors as the medium’s defining properties and the lack of direct physical contact between interactants. An important finding is the confirmation of the individuating character of the medium: i.e. the authors’ self-presentation in an e-seminar is characterised by their distinctive voice and increased self-disclosure. Communication in this context enhances individuality, which bears important consequences for how academics negotiate their identity in electronic discourse, exploiting the possibilities offered by the new medium. The results of the analysis reveal how important it is for scholars to maintain a legitimate identity in an e-seminar. Virtual academic identity as constructed in this context is as an extension of academic identity constructed in the real world. The new communicative medium seems to have extended the repertoire of effective means of self-promotion, and the presentation of academic achievements and expertise. These aspects have become important for academic interaction in today’s world, which is characterised by such phenomena as the internationalisation and globalisation of scholarship, commodification of science and intensified competition. The book will be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of discourse analysis, academic literacy, rhetoric and genre studies, and to all those concerned with the complexities of identity work in the context of computer-mediated communication.

(Re)Visions of History in Language and Fiction

(Re)Visions of History in Language and Fiction PDF

Author: Dorota Guttfeld

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2013-02-21

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 1443846805

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In imagining history, one must inevitably rely on its textual representations, whether fictitious or supposedly “objective”, yet always subject to the constraints and conventions of textuality. Still, it is precisely by exploiting and consciously relying on the textual in the presentation of the past that contemporary authors, including politicians and makers of history, strive to provide it with current significance, emotional impact and universal meaning. The study of such attempts benefits from a variety of perspectives, encompassing not only classical, but also popular texts and media. An interdisciplinary collection of papers devoted to the issues of retelling, rewriting, and representation of the past in fiction and various text-types, this volume juxtaposes modern and post-modern understanding of collective versus personal history. The contributors are scholars specializing in literary studies (e.g. postcolonialism and popular fiction), linguistics (e.g. critical discourse analysis) and cultural studies (e.g. media studies), bringing a wide spectrum of theoretical insights into the field. The collection opens with papers on the general changes in viewing history that have occurred since the 19th century. Further papers discuss postcolonial, feminist and gender-related perspectives on history reflected in postmodern fiction, revealing the power struggle around the depiction of the past. The next part of the volume is devoted to the presentation of historical breakthroughs in political and media discourse. Finally, the collection draws attention to some unorthodox visions of history involving alternative worlds and fantastic elements encountered in the genre of speculative fiction.

The Semiperiphery of Academic Writing

The Semiperiphery of Academic Writing PDF

Author: K. Bennett

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-09-02

Total Pages: 175

ISBN-13: 1137351195

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With researchers around the world are under increasing pressure to publish in high-profile international journals, this book explores some of the issues affecting authors on the semiperiphery, who often find themselves torn between conflicting academic cultures and discourses.

Astronomy ‘playne and simple’

Astronomy ‘playne and simple’ PDF

Author: Isabel Moskowich

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2012-07-04

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9027272506

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This volume includes methodological considerations and descriptions of some of the texts compiled in The Corpus of English Texts on Astronomy (CETA), together with a number of pilot studies using these texts showing how the corpus can be used to investigate English Astronomy writing between 1700 and 1900, from a synchronic and a diachronic perspective.CETA is part of the Coruña Corpus of English Scientific Writing (CC). Since the CC was designed in 2003 with a sampling method by which extracts of 10,000 words were selected, this method has been followed in CETA, with samples from 42 different authors both from Europe and North America. Some extralinguistic parameters, such as year of publication, sex, geographical provenance and text-types/genres have been considered for text selection. According to late Modern English text typology, the samples in CETA can be grouped in eight different categories and such categories, as well as some other metadata information, can be used to search the corpus. CETA, together with the Coruña Corpus Tool purpose-designed software by IrLab, was originally made available with the volume on CD-rom. As of early 2019, these are also accessible online at the Repositorio Universidade Coruña: CCT at http://hdl.handle.net/2183/21850 and CETA at http://hdl.handle.net/2183/21848

Writing and Identity

Writing and Identity PDF

Author: Roz Ivani?

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 1998-03-15

Total Pages: 389

ISBN-13: 9027285519

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Writing is not just about conveying ‘content’ but also about the representation of self. (One of the reasons people find writing difficult is that they do not feel comfortable with the ‘me’ they are portraying in their writing. Academic writing in particular often poses a conflict of identity for students in higher education, because the ‘self’ which is inscribed in academic discourse feels alien to them.) The main claim of this book is that writing is an act of identity in which people align themselves with socio-culturally shaped subject positions, and thereby play their part in reproducing or challenging dominant practices and discourses, and the values, beliefs and interests which they embody. The first part of the book reviews recent understandings of social identity, of the discoursal construction of identity, of literacy and identity, and of issues of identity in research on academic writing. The main part of the book is based on a collaborative research project about writing and identity with mature-age students, providing: • a case study of one writer’s dilemmas over the presentation of self; • a discussion of the way in which writers’ life histories shape their presentation of self in writing; • an interview-based study of issues of ownership, and of accommodation and resistance to conventions for the presentation of self; • linguistic analysis of the ways in which multiple, often contradictory, interests, values, beliefs and practices are inscribed in discourse conventions, which set up a range of possibilities for self-hood for writers. The book ends with implications of the study for research on writing and identity, and for the learning and teaching of academic writing. The book will be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of social identity, literacy, discourse analysis, rhetoric and composition studies, and to all those concerned to understand what is involved in academic writing in order to provide wider access to higher education.

Education in Cyberspace

Education in Cyberspace PDF

Author: Sian Bayne

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-05-13

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 1134332882

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The use of online learning environments is now widespread, and there is a wealth of literature providing practical advice on how to teach online, develop courses and ensure effective pedagogical practice. What has been frequently overlooked is the insight offered by cyberspace theory, which considers broader social, cultural and theoretical contexts within which new technologies and learning models are situated. This book provides a fresh perspective on current thinking in e-learning. It challenges orthodox assumptions about the role of technology in the teaching and learning of the future, and explores more varied and wider-reaching conceptual frameworks for learning in cyberspace. Featuring the contributions of respected and experienced experts with a wide range of perspectives, Education in Cyberspace will be valued by anyone closely involved in the theory of e-learning and education.

Discourse and Identity

Discourse and Identity PDF

Author: Bethan Benwell

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Published: 2006-03-15

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 0748626530

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'Identity' is a central organizing feature of our social world. Across the social sciences and humanities, it is increasingly treated as something that is actively and publicly accomplished in discourse. This book defines identity in its broadest sense, in terms of how people display who they are to each other. Each chapter examines a different discursive environment in which people do 'identity work': everyday conversation, institutional settings, narrative and stories, commodified contexts, spatial locations, and virtual environments. The authors describe and demonstrate a range of discourse and interaction analytic methods as they are put to use in the study of identity, including 'performative' analyses, conversation analysis, membership categorization analysis, critical discourse analysis, narrative analysis, positioning theory, discursive psychology and politeness theory. The book aims to give readers a clear sense of the coherence (or otherwise) of these different approaches, the practical steps taken in analysis, and their situation within broader critical debates. Through the use of detailed and original 'identity' case studies in a variety of spoken and written texts in order, the book offers a practical and accessible insight into what the discursive accomplishment of identity actually looks like, and how to go about analyzing it.

Corpora and Discourse

Corpora and Discourse PDF

Author: Annelie Ädel

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2008-06-26

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 9027290458

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This book brings together contributions from a diverse collection of scholars who explore different ways of combining corpus linguistics and discourse analysis, studying discourse at the prosodic, lexical, and textual levels. Both spoken and written discourse are investigated in a variety of settings, including academia, the workplace, news, and entertainment. Not only does the volume offer a rich sample of English-language discourse from around the world­, including international, learner, and non-standard varieties of English, ­but it also covers a range of topics and methods. This book will be of particular interest to researchers and students specializing in discourse studies, English linguistics, and corpus linguistics.

Identity, Community, Discourse

Identity, Community, Discourse PDF

Author: Giuseppina Cortese

Publisher: Peter Lang

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 510

ISBN-13: 9783039106325

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Languages are inseparable from their contexts of use. They are not only congruent with, but also involved in the configuration of the worldviews and value systems manifested in cultures and embodied in texts. The spread of English worldwide foregrounds the issue of textual dynamics in intercultural settings. The production/reception of texts in English facilitates international contacts and exchanges, yet it also triggers hegemonic practices. The volume aims to investigate the representations and negotiations of sociocognitive identities in intercultural settings relevant for 'good practice'. Contributions explore 'languaging' strategies (verbal, visual, multimodal; English monolingual, bilingual, multilingual) through a range of methodological perspectives wherein the respect for sociocultural differences is a constitutive value.

Studies on the Social Construction of Identity and Authenticity

Studies on the Social Construction of Identity and Authenticity PDF

Author: J. Patrick Williams

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-08-03

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 042964812X

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As identity and authenticity discourses increasingly saturate everyday life, so too have these concepts spread across the humanities and social sciences literatures. Many scholars may be interested in identity and authenticity but lack knowledge of paradigmatic or disciplinary approaches to these concepts. This volume offers readers insight into social constructionist approaches to identity and authenticity. It focuses on the processes of identification and authentication, rather than on subjective experiences of selfhood. There are no attempts to settle what authentic identities are. On the contrary, contributors demonstrate that neither identities nor their authenticity have a single or fixed meaning. Chapters provide exemplars of contemporary research on identity and authenticity, with significant diversity among them in terms of the identities, cultural milieu, geographic settings, disciplinary traditions, and methodological approaches considered. Contributors introduce readers to a number of established and emerging identity groups from sites around the world, from yogis and punks to fire dancers and social media influencers. Their conceptual work stretches from the micro-analytic to the ethno-national as authors employ a variety of qualitative methods including ethnographic fieldwork, interviewing, and the collection and analysis of naturally-occurring interactions. Several of the chapters look directly at identification and authentication while others focus on the social and cultural backdrops that structure these practices – what unites them is the adoption of social constructionist sensibilities. This book will appeal to anyone interested in understanding identity and authenticity.