IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v8y2024i6p2485-2497.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Identity Construction in Narrative Discourse: A Case for the Narrator or the Narrated

Author

Listed:
  • Jane Yorke Obuajo

    (University of Media Arts and Communication – Institute of Languages. (UniMAC-IL))

Abstract

This study explored how identities are constructed for deceased persons in the Akan community in Ghana through narrative discourse. Fifteen (15) biographies of Akan deceased persons aged seventy (70) or older were sampled from over fifty (50+) sourced biographies. The data were analysed using Labov’s six-stage narrative model and the social constructionist theory. The analysis showed that close relations of the deceased constructed identities for them through the biographies. These identities are enacted for the deceased in line with the socio-cultural practices of the community. In constructing an identity for the deceased, the narrators reflect on and choose events of the storyline of the decease that also construct their own identity; the narrator(s), being an in-group person(s), readily saw themselves through the story being narrated (for deceased) thereby negotiating identity for both the narrator and the deceased (narrated). This corroborates the Foucauldian assertion that (speaking) subjects (the narrator through the narrated) engages with their respective discursive communal practices to form their world. Practices and expectations of the cultural background of the subjects involved inform the foregrounding to major themes and identities.

Suggested Citation

  • Jane Yorke Obuajo, 2024. "Identity Construction in Narrative Discourse: A Case for the Narrator or the Narrated," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(6), pages 2485-2497, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:8:y:2024:i:6:p:2485-2497
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-8-issue-6/2485-2497.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/articles/identity-construction-in-narrative-discourse-a-case-for-the-narrator-or-the-narrated/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:8:y:2024:i:6:p:2485-2497. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Pawan Verma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.