Pragmatics, (Im)Politeness, and Intergroup Communication: A Multilayered, Discursive Analysis of Cancel Culture

Cancel Culture (CC) is a form of ostracism involving the collective withdrawal of support and group exclusion of individuals perceived as having behaved in ways construed as immoral. To analyze this type of collective phenomenon, a three-layered model that tackles CC manifestations at the macro, meso, and micro levels is used, where identity reduction, im/politeness, and moral emotions synergies are key to understanding group entitativity and agency.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 102 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2024
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This Element explores the foundation for pragmatics/(im)politeness to evolve towards an intergroup orientation, enabling the consideration of interactions characterized by social identities that are prominent or inherently collective, such as Cancel Culture (CC). CC represents a form of ostracism involving the collective withdrawal of support and the consequent exclusion of individuals deemed to have engaged in actions perceived as immoral, thereby exhibiting disdain for group normativity. To analyze this collective phenomenon, a three-layered model is employed, addressing CC manifestations at the macro, meso, and micro levels. At the meso/micro levels, the existing conceptualizations of CC, primarily centered on the macro level, are problematized, portraying it as a Big C Conversation. Within this context, the meso-level practices of CC necessitate understanding as genre-ecology, where identity reduction, im/politeness, and moral emotions synergize to comprehend group entitativity and agency.

This Element explores the foundation for pragmatics/(im)politeness to evolve towards an intergroup orientation, enabling the consideration of interactions characterized by social identities that are prominent or inherently collective, such as Cancel Culture (CC). CC represents a form of ostracism involving the collective withdrawal of support and the consequent exclusion of individuals deemed to have engaged in actions perceived as immoral, thereby exhibiting disdain for group normativity. To analyze this collective phenomenon, a three-layered model is employed, addressing CC manifestations at the macro, meso, and micro levels. At the meso/micro levels, the existing conceptualizations of CC, primarily centered on the macro level, are problematized, portraying it as a Big C Conversation. Within this context, the meso-level practices of CC necessitate understanding as genre-ecology, where identity reduction, im/politeness, and moral emotions synergize to comprehend group entitativity and agency.

ISBN-13: 9781009184380