A critical feminist discursive approach was used to explore how and to what ends women organized their talk about female genitals. Exploration and interpretation of how the eight women in this research used talk to orient their constructed positions for female genitals, within the dyad conversational sessions, was informed by the analytic concepts of interpretative repertoires, subject positioning and ideological dilemmas. Findings indicated that these women repeatedly drew on socially available information (e.g., fictional and non-fictional literature, media, family and friend, empirical research) regarding female genitals during their dyad discussions. Shared components in the womens accounts were organized into two opposing interpretative repertoires consistent with those identified in a selection of reviewed textual resources: powerful female genital repertoire and powerless female genital repertoire. The participants drew on both these repertoires when arguing and defending multiple, and often contradictory, subject positions on this topic. Although the women discursively demonstrated a strong pull toward a position that aligned with the powerful repertoire, their powerful subject positions were tenuous. This tenuousness may have been due to the sensitive nature of this topic, the rhetorical demands of the research conversations, and/or the untenability of an extremist position in either of the powerful or powerless female genital repertoires. Further, these women did not construct any new information in their talk regarding female genitals, thus suggesting that the female genital repertoires are discursively pervasive and constraining. This research contributes to our knowledge of talk regarding female genitals by illustrating how and to what ends women choose to organize, interpret and exclusively use existing discourses on this topic.

A critical feminist discursive approach was used to explore how and to what ends women organized their talk about female genitals. Exploration and interpretation of how the eight women in this research used talk to orient their constructed positions for female genitals, within the dyad conversational sessions, was informed by the analytic concepts of interpretative repertoires, subject positioning and ideological dilemmas. Findings indicated that these women repeatedly drew on socially available information (e.g., fictional and non-fictional literature, media, family and friend, empirical research) regarding female genitals during their dyad discussions. Shared components in the womens accounts were organized into two opposing interpretative repertoires consistent with those identified in a selection of reviewed textual resources: powerful female genital repertoire and powerless female genital repertoire. The participants drew on both these repertoires when arguing and defending multiple, and often contradictory, subject positions on this topic. Although the women discursively demonstrated a strong pull toward a position that aligned with the powerful repertoire, their powerful subject positions were tenuous. This tenuousness may have been due to the sensitive nature of this topic, the rhetorical demands of the research conversations, and/or the untenability of an extremist position in either of the powerful or powerless female genital repertoires. Further, these women did not construct any new information in their talk regarding female genitals, thus suggesting that the female genital repertoires are discursively pervasive and constraining. This research contributes to our knowledge of talk regarding female genitals by illustrating how and to what ends women choose to organize, interpret and exclusively use existing discourses on this topic.

Minority languages, bilingualism and linguistic integration among youth have gained a great dealof attention in research especially in times of migration, globalization and other activities crossingthe borders of nation-states. In this thesis the aim is to investigate different meanings associatedwith the mother tongue when this language is another than the majority language in the place ofresidence. This task is approached from a social geographical perspective. In the study, the termmother tongue is used in its widest sense, mostly defined by the choice of the informant. In the introduction the concept mother tongue is on the one hand, looked upon and discussedin terms of a minority language in regard to the nation state and on the other, seen as a bordercrossing transnational speech community. In this way, a wide range of meanings can be illuminated.The analytical framework is discourse analysis, inspired by the work of Potter and Wetherellamong others, in the field of discursive psychology. The empirical data is made up by the transcriptsof semi-structured interviews with 13 students at two schools in the area of Stockholm,Sweden. The result of the study is presented as five interpretative repertoires, showing the mother tongueas (1) belonging, (2) background, (3) heritage, (4) carrier and (5) everyday practice. The fiverepertoires are later analyzed for their spatial content in four spatial contexts: the national, themulticultural, the transnational and the diasporic context. They are defined and used as discursivelandscapes in which the different meanings of the repertoires are identified. The five repertoires areidentified in all spatial contexts except for the national context. The findings show that the different meanings of the mother tongue represented by a certainindividual are negotiated in sometimes quite contradictive pieces of discourse. One implication isthat a specific meaning of the language does not equal an individual’s personal attitude or belief.The students seem to be very flexible in the association of different meanings to their mother tongue.The result further shows the value of a multi-scalar approach to investigations of the socialgeography of language. The ignorance of one social or spatial context will lead to the loss of a vitalpart of the language. This is crucial when discussing the mother tongue as a minority language oras a transnational speech community. Finally, there are reasons to be attentive of putting bilingualyouth in any social or spatial trap: national, multicultural, transnational or diasporic.

Esta pesquisa qualitativa configurou-se como um estudo de caso dos repertórios interpretativos utilizados na construção de posicionamentos contrários às cotas raciais nas universidades públicas brasileiras, expressos na sessão de comentários à notícia, publicada na internet, da decisão unânime do Supremo Tribunal Federal em favor da legitimidade constitucional do sistema de reserva de vagas baseado em critérios raciais. Partindo da perspectiva epistemológica do construcionismo social e dos instrumentos teóricometodológicos da psicologia social discursiva no estudo da relação entre racismo e discurso, analisei um conjunto de 6 fragmentos de interações, somando 44 registros, retirados de um total de 250 comentários. A organização dos comentários em fragmentos objetivou recortar diálogos espontâneos entre os comentadores, privilegiando aqueles que permitiram o acompanhamento da construção dos posicionamentos contrários ao sistema de cotas raciais. Os resultados encontrados corroboram os achados da pesquisa de Margareth Wetherell e Jonathan Potter (1992) sobre o discurso dos Pakeha Neozelandeses (brancos descendentes de europeus) empregados em posicionamentos sobre o estatuto das relações raciais na Nova Zelândia, particularmente sobre a questão dos programas de ação afirmativa. Tal como nesta pesquisa, o presente estudo de caso encontrou o emprego de argumentos de base liberal na construção de posicionamentos contrários ao sistema de cotas, que no contexto específico das interações analisadas, trabalham em defesa do status quo racista da sociedade brasileira. Nas considerações finais, apontei algumas das vantagens da especificidade do campo empírico recortado para o estudo do racismo, bem como da consideração do racismo como uma prática sócio-cultural de construção de sentidos concretizada a partir do emprego de recursos discursivos disponíveis numa sociedade racista. Sugeri algumas linhas de aprofundamento da análise do material bruto coletado, que ficará disponível para pessoas darem continuidade ao trabalho de analise deste material. Sugeri também a possibilidade de que a abordagem teóricometodológica de trabalho com práticas discursivas e produção de sentido pode ter bons resultados quando aplicada em pesquisas envolvendo grupos de pesquisadores e paridade racial e de gênero. Destaco ainda algumas das possibilidades futuras de pesquisas envolvendo a proposta de pesquisa empírica na sessão de comentários a textos publicados na internet para o estudo dos mais variados temas / This qualitative research was configured as a case study of the interpretative repertoires used in building positions contrary to racial quotas in Brazilian public universities, expressed in the comments to the news published on the Internet, the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court in favor of the constitutional legitimacy of the system of quotas based on racial criteria. Starting from the epistemological perspective of social constructionism and the theoretical and methodological tools of discursive social psychology in the study of the relationship between racism and discourse, I\'ve analyzed a set of 6 pieces of interactions, totaling 44 records taken from a total of 250 comments. The organization aimed to cut fragments comments spontaneous conversations among commentators, privileging those who have allowed the monitoring of the construction of positions contrary to the racial quota system. The results corroborate the findings of research Margaret Wetherell and Jonathan Potter (1992) on the speech of Pakeha New Zealanders (white European descent) employees in positions on the status of race relations in New Zealand, particularly on the issue of affirmative action programs. As this research, this case study found the arguments of neoliberal base to build positions contrary to the quota, which in the specific context of interactions analyzed, work in defense of the racist status quo of the Brazilian society system. In closing remarks, I pointed some of the advantages of specificity clipped to the study of racism empirical field, as well as consideration of racism as a socio-cultural practice of constructing meanings realized from the use of discursive resources available in a racist society. Suggested some lines of further analysis of the crude material collected, which will be available for people to continue the work of analysis of this material. Also suggested the possibility that the theoretical-methodological approach to working with discursive practices and the production of meaning can have good results when applied to research involving groups of researchers and racial and gender parity. Also highlight some of the possibilities for future research involving the proposal of empirical research in the comments to texts published on the Internet for the study of various topics

Denna avhandling handlar om hur rekryteringspro­cesser går till. Den handlar särskilt om rekryteringsprocesser där bedömning och beslutsfattande sker i grupper som består av rekryte­rare, linjechefer och blivande kollegor.   Hur hanterar dessa bedömare den mångtydiga situation som en rekrytering innebär? Hur går det till när de diskuterar kandidater och kommer överens om vem som skall rekryteras? Hur fastställer de tillsammans om en kandidat är en ”klockren stjärna” eller ett ”stolpskott”, en socialt kompetent person eller en ensamvarg, en specialist eller en generalist? Vilken roll spelar rekryteringsverktygen i detta arbete? Blir bedömningen mindre rättvis om den sker under en informell diskussion mellan erfarna kollegor än om bedömarna endast tar hänsyn till objektiva fakta?   Dessa är några av de frågor som diskuteras i denna avhandling. Den bygger på studier som omfattar intervjuer med rekryterare och observationer av beslutsmöten där olika bedömare samlas för att diskutera kandidater som sökt arbete och besluta huruvida dessa skall erbjudas anställning. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk., 2002

Under-utilization, premature termination, and lack of between-session engagement have been discussed in the couple therapy literature in terms of how they negatively impact the course and outcome of couple therapy. The goal of the present research was to investigate the discourses that people use when (1) constructing meaning about the act of engaging in couple therapy; (2) constructing what constitutes a positive couple therapy experience; and (3) constructing the influence of couple therapy on daily living. Discourse analysis, with a particular focus on interpretative repertoires (Potter & Wetherell, 1987), was used as the methodology for the three studies reported here. The data included eight semi-structured interviews with individuals who had participated in couple therapy and postings from three different online discussion forums. In study one, two interpretative repertoires -- the “relationship breakdown” repertoire and the “commitment” repertoire -- were constructed from the interview data. The premise of these repertoires is that couples seek couple therapy when they believe their relationship is broken and when they are committed to remaining in the relationship and resolving the problems. I argue that these interpretative repertoires can help us understand the decision or reluctance to enter couple therapy. In study two, one interpretative repertoire -- “the shoe must fit” repertoire -- was constructed from the interview and online data. This repertoire suggests that a particular “fit” between the couple and their therapist needs to be present in order for the couple to have a positive therapy experience. I argue that this interpretative repertoire facilitates understanding the decision to remain in or drop out of couple therapy. In study three, the interpretative repertoire “therapy life is not real life” was constructed from the interview data. According to this repertoire, couple therapy runs alongside daily life, but rarely influences it significantly. In this study, I argue that the “therapy life is not real life” repertoire helps us to better understand between-session engagement in couple therapy. Conclusions and implications for therapists and researchers are discussed.

FERNANDES. Luciana Freitas. Histórias de doação de rim: explorando narrativas e repertórios interpretativos de doadores. 2011. 117 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Psicologia) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Departamento de Psicologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia, Fortaleza-CE, 2011. / Submitted by moises gomes (celtinha_malvado@hotmail.com) on 2012-03-09T17:31:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2011_dis_LFFernandes.PDF: 1314577 bytes, checksum: 66f5b1b7b38bf43a974004117821eaac (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Josineide Góis(josineide@ufc.br) on 2012-03-14T14:32:59Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2011_dis_LFFernandes.PDF: 1314577 bytes, checksum: 66f5b1b7b38bf43a974004117821eaac (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-03-14T14:32:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2011_dis_LFFernandes.PDF: 1314577 bytes, checksum: 66f5b1b7b38bf43a974004117821eaac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Living organ donation has been considered an alternative to the shortage of organs for transplantation; as such it is part of medical procedures where we can see the intricate relationship between biotechnology and the process of meaning making in everyday life. This research discusses organ donation, understood as a social practice supported by a network of various human and non human actors. More specifically, our research focuses on narrative types and interpretative repertoires used by living kidney donors to build versions about organ donation. Interviews were conducted with three donors, two potential donors and three recipients at the kidney transplantation department of Hospital Universitário Walter Cantídio, in Fortaleza (CE-Brazil). The interviews were transcribed and analyzed in terms of narrative types and interpretative repertoires in use. Among the results, we can highlight the predominant use of restitution narratives to talk about kidney donation as an expedient to restore the recipient’s lost health. This finding shows the powerful discursive matrix, supported by biotechnology and contemporary Western medicine, which values health as a normal condition and establishes the need for repair in cases of illness. Among the arguments and metaphors used to build the donation, we highlight the act of love and gift of life, which compose the “language of gift”. The donor tends to be positioned as a brave, heroic person, whose altruism saves lives; while the organs to be donated are formulated as rare and valuable resources that must be recycled, specially in case of a close parent’s need. We conclude that the ways of telling stories of renal donation and the interpretive repertoires used in those narratives produce specific effects in the living transplant actors’ network, functioning to promote the recruitment of donors in the family. / A doação de órgãos intervivos tem sido considerada uma alternativa à escassez de órgãos para transplante, figurando entre os procedimentos médicos onde podemos observar a intrincada relação entre as biotecnologias e a produção de sentidos no cotidiano. Esta pesquisa tem como objeto a doação de órgãos entendida como uma prática social sustentada por uma rede de atores humanos e não humanos. Mais especificamente, nossa pesquisa focaliza os tipos de narrativa e os repertórios interpretativos que os doadores vivos usam para construir versões sobre a doação de órgãos intervivos. Foram realizadas entrevistas com três doadores, dois potenciais doadores e três receptores no setor de Transplante Renal do Hospital Universitário Walter Cantídio, em Fortaleza. As entrevistas foram transcritas e analisadas em termos dos tipos de narrativa e dos repertórios interpretativos empregados. Como resultados, podemos destacar a predominância do uso de narrativas de restituição que constroem a doação de rim como um expediente para restaurar a saúde perdida pelo receptor. Esse achado remete a uma matriz discursiva poderosa, sustentada pela biotecnologia e pelas práticas da medicina ocidental contemporânea, que valoriza a saúde como condição de normalidade e institui o imperativo de sua reparação nos casos de adoecimento. Entre os argumentos e metáforas usados para construir a doação, destacam-se o ato de amor e de doação de vida, que compõem uma “linguagem da dádiva”. O doador tende a ser posicionado como pessoa corajosa e heróica, cujo altruísmo permite salvar vidas; enquanto os órgãos a serem doados são construídos como recursos escassos e valiosos que devem ser reciclados, especialmente no caso de demanda de um parente próximo. Concluímos que os modos de narrar histórias de doação renal e os repertórios interpretativos empregados nesses relatos produzem efeitos específicos na rede de atores que compõem o transplante intervivos, operando para favorecer o recrutamento de doadores na família.

Esta pesquisa qualitativa configurou-se como um estudo de caso dos repertórios interpretativos utilizados na construção de posicionamentos contrários às cotas raciais nas universidades públicas brasileiras, expressos na sessão de comentários à notícia, publicada na internet, da decisão unânime do Supremo Tribunal Federal em favor da legitimidade constitucional do sistema de reserva de vagas baseado em critérios raciais. Partindo da perspectiva epistemológica do construcionismo social e dos instrumentos teóricometodológicos da psicologia social discursiva no estudo da relação entre racismo e discurso, analisei um conjunto de 6 fragmentos de interações, somando 44 registros, retirados de um total de 250 comentários. A organização dos comentários em fragmentos objetivou recortar diálogos espontâneos entre os comentadores, privilegiando aqueles que permitiram o acompanhamento da construção dos posicionamentos contrários ao sistema de cotas raciais. Os resultados encontrados corroboram os achados da pesquisa de Margareth Wetherell e Jonathan Potter (1992) sobre o discurso dos Pakeha Neozelandeses (brancos descendentes de europeus) empregados em posicionamentos sobre o estatuto das relações raciais na Nova Zelândia, particularmente sobre a questão dos programas de ação afirmativa. Tal como nesta pesquisa, o presente estudo de caso encontrou o emprego de argumentos de base liberal na construção de posicionamentos contrários ao sistema de cotas, que no contexto específico das interações analisadas, trabalham em defesa do status quo racista da sociedade brasileira. Nas considerações finais, apontei algumas das vantagens da especificidade do campo empírico recortado para o estudo do racismo, bem como da consideração do racismo como uma prática sócio-cultural de construção de sentidos concretizada a partir do emprego de recursos discursivos disponíveis numa sociedade racista. Sugeri algumas linhas de aprofundamento da análise do material bruto coletado, que ficará disponível para pessoas darem continuidade ao trabalho de analise deste material. Sugeri também a possibilidade de que a abordagem teóricometodológica de trabalho com práticas discursivas e produção de sentido pode ter bons resultados quando aplicada em pesquisas envolvendo grupos de pesquisadores e paridade racial e de gênero. Destaco ainda algumas das possibilidades futuras de pesquisas envolvendo a proposta de pesquisa empírica na sessão de comentários a textos publicados na internet para o estudo dos mais variados temas / This qualitative research was configured as a case study of the interpretative repertoires used in building positions contrary to racial quotas in Brazilian public universities, expressed in the comments to the news published on the Internet, the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court in favor of the constitutional legitimacy of the system of quotas based on racial criteria. Starting from the epistemological perspective of social constructionism and the theoretical and methodological tools of discursive social psychology in the study of the relationship between racism and discourse, I\'ve analyzed a set of 6 pieces of interactions, totaling 44 records taken from a total of 250 comments. The organization aimed to cut fragments comments spontaneous conversations among commentators, privileging those who have allowed the monitoring of the construction of positions contrary to the racial quota system. The results corroborate the findings of research Margaret Wetherell and Jonathan Potter (1992) on the speech of Pakeha New Zealanders (white European descent) employees in positions on the status of race relations in New Zealand, particularly on the issue of affirmative action programs. As this research, this case study found the arguments of neoliberal base to build positions contrary to the quota, which in the specific context of interactions analyzed, work in defense of the racist status quo of the Brazilian society system. In closing remarks, I pointed some of the advantages of specificity clipped to the study of racism empirical field, as well as consideration of racism as a socio-cultural practice of constructing meanings realized from the use of discursive resources available in a racist society. Suggested some lines of further analysis of the crude material collected, which will be available for people to continue the work of analysis of this material. Also suggested the possibility that the theoretical-methodological approach to working with discursive practices and the production of meaning can have good results when applied to research involving groups of researchers and racial and gender parity. Also highlight some of the possibilities for future research involving the proposal of empirical research in the comments to texts published on the Internet for the study of various topics

This is a thesis in marketing concerned with entrepreneurship in established firms and the discursive practices that take place within a perspective of strategic entrepreneurship. The study of discursive practices in this context assumes a concern with how different aspects of entrepreneurship are produced and consumed by people in text and talk. Strategic entrepreneurship can be seen as an organisational form of entrepreneurship. The latest contribution within strategic entrepreneurship tends to focus on opportunities and advantages in organisations as two processes that need to be considered and managed jointly. In this thesis, I have studied the discursive practices of how scholars position strategic entrepreneurship through an enhanced literature review and by means of a close analysis of assumptions made within strategic entrepreneurship, but also by studying two firms and their discursive practices of constructing opportunity and advantage positions. The results have then been analysed with reference to discourse theory and previous research within entrepreneurship based on European traditions that builds on the linguistic turn. By conducting an empirical study of two firms, I have studied discourses in use, and how they are produced by people. In so doing, two main findings emerge in the discussion of the empirical results: 1) Opportunity and advantage positions emerge in social interaction and are co-constructed. 2) Opportunity and advantage positions are constructed by the use of multiple discourses, on different levels of discourse and for different functions. The main purpose of the thesis is to enhance the understanding of entrepreneurship in established firms and the activities labelled as strategic entrepreneurship. In addressing the purpose, seven theoretical, methodological and empirical contributions to research emerge in areas of strategic entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship and the enterprising self.

In the body of knowledge surrounding ADHD there is a power struggle regarding which interpretations and perspectives should prevail. Representatives from various scientific disciplines and professions write and publish articles about the diagnosis based on their respective points of view. These articles are the focus of this thesis. Among other things it can be seen in these examined articles that, the prevalence of ADHD is higher amongst established bodies of social care, and that there is a lack of knowledge regarding the diagnosis in social systems such as schools and social services. Our aim with this study is to highlight how professionals within the Swedish contemporary field of knowledge surrounding ADHD create significance and meaning of the phenomenon. Based on Jonathan Potters discourse analysis, we focus on how ADHD is described by professionals in contemporary Swedish articles about ADHD and also on how these descriptions become valid and credible in these texts. The approach used in our case has been article analysis, based on Potter's rhetorical toolbox that includes both theory and method in one. ADHD is widely presented in the articles with descriptions ranging from a cultural disease constructed by prevailing social climate to being a genetic abnormality. Using various rhetorical strategies it is possible to establish totally different groups of interpretative repertoires as all true. In this thesis, we also discuss the possible consequences of these various explanations and constructions within social work and society at large.