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From conflict to conciliation: Disarming metaphors

From conflict to conciliation: Disarming metaphors. Lynne Cameron The Open University, UK. Language and conflict. Language used in the service of opposing groups In processes of de-humanising the Other e.g. framing the Other metaphorically as mass: a flood animal: rats

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From conflict to conciliation: Disarming metaphors

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  1. From conflict to conciliation: Disarming metaphors Lynne Cameron The Open University, UK

  2. Language and conflict • Language used in the service of opposing groups • In processes of de-humanising the Other e.g. framing the Other metaphorically as • mass: a flood • animal: rats • object: the axis of evil

  3. Post-conflict conciliation • Increasing understanding between groups and individuals separated by conflict. • Needs to work on both social and individual levels. • Processes include: • the re-negotiation of identities • the re-humanization of self and Other • the development of empathy between former enemies • through dialogue

  4. The study Conversations between Pat Magee: a former IRA member who planted a bomb that injured and killed members of the Conservative party in 1984. Jo Berry: the daughter of a Conservative minister who was killed in the bombing.

  5. The Grand Hotel, Brighton, 1984 Pat Magee & Jo Berry, 2000

  6. Data A series of reconciliation meetings between Jo Berry and Pat Magee. 2nd meeting – 50 minutes – late 2000 4th meeting – 110 minutes – early 2001 Radio interview – 20 minutes – Easter 2003 Face-to-face interview with Jo Berry – 2005

  7. Dialogue as complex dynamic system • Interacting levels of social organisation • individual – social groupings • Interacting timescales • conversation – relationship • Properties • Co-adaptation • Self-organisation • Emergent stabilities

  8. Co-adaptation in complex systems • interactions between elements gradually adapt • the behaviour of the system changes • the behaviour of the system stabilises to a state or attractor that ‘suits’ all elements • some perturbation is needed to shift the system to a new state

  9. State space of a system: the landscape of possibilities from Spivey 2007, p.18

  10. Metaphors as emergent markers of social group affiliation • The Movement • The Struggle • Home Rule • porridge, screws

  11. Metaphors as emergent attractors in dialogue CONCILIATION as BUILDING A BRIDGE that is why it is so important to build this bridge with you cf Juliet is the sun ..

  12. Metaphor dynamics at the micro-level • After its first use in talk, a metaphor Vehicle can be • developed: with same Topic • repetition • relexicalisation • explication • contrast • redeployed: with different Topic • dropped

  13. building bridges Pat ... (1.0) in the er -- the journey, ...(1.0) coming ... toa bridge,/ ... you [know]. Jo [hmh] Pat ... with two ends, Pat all those bridges are there to be built

  14. From bridges to barriers Pat there's an inverse, to that er, ...(1.0) you know, er, ...(2.0) figure of speech you know, bridges. ... bridges can be built. ... and that is if you, .. actively -- er, .. create, er, .. distances. ... barriers. ... or what are they? they are exclusions

  15. The removal of barriers allows connection Jo <X where X> victims of all sides have been meeting, .. and -- er, ... (1.0) that is just about, ... er, .. br- breaking down barriers, sharing stories, and -- Pat hmh Jo ... and through .. experiencing each other's stories, Pat hmh Jo ... there's a real feeling of, ... closeness and humanity of everyone,

  16. ...(1.0) and er, .. a thing I believe absolutely fundamentally, is that er, ...(1.0) if you exclude anybody's voice, ...(1.0) you know, ... you're se- -- you're sowing the seed for later violence. Jo ...(1.0) hmh Pat .. and [er] -- Jo [I] would agree. Pat ...(1.0) the way to counter that, ...(1.0) is to buildbridges. Jo .. hmh Pat ...(1.0) the way to ensure it doesn't happen,

  17. Metaphor dynamics in the conversations • systematic metaphors emerge across discourse events: UNDERSTANDING THE OTHER REQUIRES CONNECTION • building bridges • breaking down barriers • being open

  18. Appropriation taking something that belongs to others and making it one’s own Wertsch, 1998, p.53

  19. The moment of appropriation 1132 Pat ... be confronted, 1133 .. with your pain. 1134 ... that's a consequence that -- 1135 er, 1136 ...(3.0) you know, 1137 I suppose I deserve. 1138 ...(2.0) you know, 1139 ...(1.0) and -- 1140 er, 1141 ...(2.0) seems very -- 1142 how do you putit, 1143 er, 1144 ...(2.0) maybe that's part ofhealing too, 1145 .. my healing.

  20. Prior to this moment of appropriation, the word does not exist in a neutral and impersonal language … but rather it exists in people’s mouths, in other people’s contexts, serving other people’s intentions: it is from there that one must take the word, and make it one’s own. Bakhtin 1981, pp. 293-4.

  21. Earlier in the discourse event Jo Berry 591 the heat heals the pain 609 I will speak out, 610 for the healing for the world, 660 I feel that my heart heals, 661 as Ireland heals.

  22. Earlier in the discourse event Patrick Magee 695 ... that somebody else can -- 701 .. move onin their own, 702 .. you know, 703 .. healing process.

  23. The appropriation of metaphor 1132 Pat ... be confronted, 1133 .. with your pain. 1134 ... that's a consequence that -- 1135 er, 1136 ...(3.0) you know, 1137 I suppose I deserve. 1138 ...(2.0) you know, 1139 ...(1.0) and -- 1140 er, 1141 ...(2.0) seems very -- 1142 how do you putit, 1143 er, 1144 ...(2.0) maybe that's part ofhealing too, 1145 .. my healing.

  24. appropriation … always involves resistance of some sort (Wertsch 1998, p.54)

  25. 1145 .. my healing. 1146 Jo your healing. 1147 .. [yeah]. 1148 Pat [yeah]. 1149 ...(1.0) you know, 1150 er, 1151 ...(2.0) it's -- 1152 er, 1153 something I have to go through. 1154 Jo ... hmh 1155 Pat ... if I'm going to sort of -- 1156 er, 1157 ...(1.0) really retain my humanity.

  26. Other metaphor appropriations • pain • Jo: to deal with the anger and the pain • Pat: you’re in denial about some of the pain of your own life • struggle • Pat: the struggle was necessary • Jo: I am seeing you as someone who’s had a lot of struggle … I am feeling part of that struggle

  27. carry • Pat: you have to carry that with you • Jo: I carry that wound • contribution • Pat: a denial of rights…what contribution can I make? • Jo: I’m doing this for peace…my little contribution to the bigger picture

  28. Appropriation in reconciliation Appropriation: • affords alignment through attempted use of the Other’s metaphor • if permitted, allows the Other to use one’s owned metaphor • can shift the power of the metaphor

  29. Appropriation of metaphor is a small act of reconciliation that contributes to the longer process. Through appropriation and negotiation, metaphors that mark and maintain social group affiliation can be disarmed.

  30. References Cameron, L. (2007) Patterns of metaphor use in reconciliation talk. Discourse and Society, 18 (2), 197-222. Gibbs, R. and L. Cameron (2008) The social cognitive dynamics of metaphor performance. Journal of Cognitive Systems Research, 9 (1-2), 64-75. Larsen-Freeman, D. & L. Cameron (2008) Complex systems and applied linguistics. Oxford University Press. l.j.cameron@open.ac.uk

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