A rehearsed self in repeated narratives? The case of two interviews with a former hooligan

Bibliographic Data

ID5965107
AuthorsDorien Van De Mieroop (0000-0002-1704-2165, LESSIUS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE/KU LEUVEN, BELGIUM, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume11
Issue6
Pages721-740
Publication date2009-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDiscourse Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-4456 • E-ISSN: 1461-7080
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1461445609347236
OpenAlexW2150750261
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited30

This article investigates the identity constructions of a former hooligan in two repeated narratives, obtained through interviews with a time lapse of six years. In both narratives, the interviewee constructs a similar heroic identity and opposes it to other categories such as cowards and followers. However, when relating how he became a hooligan, the interviewee presents himself as a follower. This contradiction with the heroic identity shows his struggle with group membership and that ‘identity work’ is an ongoing process. On the other hand, the striking similarity between the identity constructions in both interviews supports the thesis of a rehearsed self in big stories, but I argue that this is also due to other reasons, namely the role of the same interviewer who co-constructs the interview but who is also an outsider, and the influence of previous ‘rehearsals’ of the story, both within the group of hooligans and in real life

Aesthetics · Art · Collective identity · Contradiction · Epistemology · Interview · Linguistics · Narrative · Political science · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Sports, Gender, and Society

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