Journal article
A public sphere in Amazonia? the depersonalized collaborative construction of discourse in Xavante
American ethnologist, Vol.20(4), pp.717-741
11/1993
DOI: 10.1525/ae.1993.20.4.02a00030
Abstract
What are the discourse presuppositions of the Habermasian public sphere? The present article explores this question by comparing the Western philosophy of language with the political discourse practices of the Xavante Indians of central Brazil. Specifically, it focuses on the relationships among discourse, the individual, and the collectivity. Discursive practices in Xavante men's council meetings pragmatically represent discourse as an emergent intersubjective production. Elaborate co‐performances that incorporate both participant commentary and the discourse of previous meetings oppose the principle of negativity to that of notability. Speech performances effectively detach individuals from the content of their speech, counteracting Xavante factionalism and promoting social cohesiveness as well as egalitarian relations among senior males. Simultaneously, speech practices recreate and reinforce age‐ and gender‐based relations of dominance. [discourse, co‐performance, factional politics, principles of negativity and notability, philosophy of language, Brazilian Indians]
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- A public sphere in Amazonia? the depersonalized collaborative construction of discourse in Xavante
- Creators
- Laura Graham
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- American ethnologist, Vol.20(4), pp.717-741
- DOI
- 10.1525/ae.1993.20.4.02a00030
- ISSN
- 0094-0496
- eISSN
- 1548-1425
- Publisher
- Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Oxford, UK
- Number of pages
- 25
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/1993
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology; International Programs
- Record Identifier
- 9983997097202771
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