A Sociology of Nothing: Understanding the Unmarked

Scott, Susie

doi:10.1177/0038038517690681

Cited by 107 publications

(207 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Can non-drinking also be understood as an act of omission (Scott, 2018), incidental to the self-identity of individuals who 'happen' to not drink, an irrelevant identity marker? If not drinking alcohol is denied a basis, if it is interpreted as an act of nothing (Scott, 2018), what identity work is directed towards minimizing the impact of this non-drinking status in the eyes of others and resisting the label that is imposed on them? The focus of this article is on those non-drinkers who share 'nothing' acts with others (i.e.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identity Refusal: Distancing from Non-Drinking in a Drinking Culture

Banister¹,

Piacentini

Grimes

2019

Sociology

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Following Scott’s recent sociology of nothing, we focus on the process of non-identification, wherein young adults seek to manage the risk of being marked by their non-participation in an important cultural practice. Drawing on qualitative interviews with undergraduate students we develop two overall identity refusal positions (resistance and othering), through which informants seek to disengage with the collective identity of the non-drinker. These positions are underlined by four categories of identity talk: denial and temporal talk (distancing through resistance), and disconnect and concealment talk (distancing through othering), which are used to repudiate non-drinking as culturally and personally meaningful respectively. We contribute understandings of how identities can be performed through active omission, developing Scott’s conceptualization and demonstrating how this can be a potentially planful process, depending on the extent to which individuals credit a particular object or activity with being a ‘something’.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identity Refusal: Distancing from Non-Drinking in a Drinking Culture

Banister¹,

Piacentini

Grimes

2019

Sociology

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“…By imagining potential courses of action, the women display agency, even if they choose not to act (Scott, 2018). At the same time, during this active process of imagining potential courses of actions, survivors may be acutely aware that they face certain social constraints.…”

Section: Imagined Courses Of Action and Reportingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Visible actions, however, only LEAVING THE PAST (SELF) BEHIND 4 account for a fraction of the actions individuals engage in on a daily basis. There are also internal processes that are common and crucially important to social life (Scott, 2018).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Leaving the Past (Self) Behind: Non-Reporting Rape Survivors’ Narratives of Self and Action

2018

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Using a symbolic interactionist framework, this study considers the narratives of nonreporting rape survivors. We use interviews to examine the complex processes that inform a survivor's decision not to report. Rape is not interpreted as an isolated event; it is something that is seen as caused by, connected to, and affecting the survivor's sense of self and agency. Rape forces the survivor to reconstruct a sense of agency in the aftermath of the traumatic attack. Rather than report the rape, the survivors constructed narratives that direct blame and accountability toward the 'old self.' This less visible, yet still agentic strategy, allows the survivors to regain a sense of agency and control. As a result, a more positive, optimistic self can be constructed, while pursuing legal justice would force them to reenact an 'old' self that cannot be disentangled from the rape.

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“…Knowing oneself is saying 'No' to what one is not. (Apter, 1983, p. 80) Knowing what one is against allows individuals to engage in a process of disidentification (Scott, 2018). As he argues, 'in order to gain and maintain a sense of identity, the individual must search out or provoke forces to be negativistic against' (Apter, 1983, p. 81).…”

Section: Understanding Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Identity, Imprisonment, and Narrative Configuration

Hardie-Bick¹

2018

New Criminal Law Review

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This article addresses the role of self-narratives for coping with the laws of captivity. By focusing on how confinement can disrupt narrative coherence, the intention is to examine the role of self-narratives for interpreting previous events and anticipating future actions. Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary research on self-identity, imprisonment, and offender narratives, this article highlights how narrative reconstruction can alter our desires, commitments, behavior, beliefs, and values. By (re)telling a story about our lives, it is possible to reinterpret existing circumstances and make new connections between our past, present, and future selves. Whereas research suggests the importance of narrative reconstruction for protecting against a sense of meaninglessness, this article shows how self-narratives have the potential to be empowering and divisive. The final part of the article examines how the narratives inmates construct about themselves and others can serve to legitimize violence against other prisoners.

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A Sociology of Nothing: Understanding the Unmarked

Cited by 107 publications

References 58 publications

Identity Refusal: Distancing from Non-Drinking in a Drinking Culture

Identity Refusal: Distancing from Non-Drinking in a Drinking Culture

Leaving the Past (Self) Behind: Non-Reporting Rape Survivors’ Narratives of Self and Action

Identity, Imprisonment, and Narrative Configuration

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