Politeness as Collective Facework: The Case of Swedish Jante Law
Festschrift in Honour of Kathy Charmaz
ISBN: 978-1-80455-373-2, eISBN: 978-1-80455-372-5
Publication date: 14 November 2022
Abstract
Politeness rituals can be understood as socially facilitative, performative speech acts that operate at the meso-level of Goffmanian interaction order, translating macro-level cultural scripts into micro-social action. Whereas previous research has focused on individual face-saving, this chapter examines the implications of politeness for the group face of speech communities, demonstrating the concept of collective facework. Taking Swedish culture as an example, I observe a tension between two sets of rules: the Nordic code of Jante Law, which frowns upon boasting and encourages humility, and the values of honesty and conversational directness. This is dramaturgically resolved through polite forms of talk, such as strategic reticence and sanctioning verbal domination. These interaction rituals perform collective facework to address negative and positive collective face needs.
Keywords
Citation
Scott, S. (2022), "Politeness as Collective Facework: The Case of Swedish Jante Law", Bryant, A. and Clarke, A.E. (Ed.) Festschrift in Honour of Kathy Charmaz (Studies in Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 56), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 189-209. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0163-239620220000056016
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023 Susie Scott. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited