essay
Strategies of status manipulation in the Wolof greeting
explorations in the ethnography of speaking • (8) • Published In 1989 • Pages: 167-191, 459-460
By: Irvine, Judith T..
Abstract
According to the author the principle of social inequality is fundamental to an understanding of the organization of social life among the Wolof. Not only is this principle expressed in the hierarchically ranked status groups or castes, but also in all types of social interaction within the society. In this paper Irvine analyzes the principle of inequality as it functions in everyday person-to-person greetings between members of the society.'The primary purpose of such an analysis is first to identify the opportunities which individuals have to affect their own rank by manipulating the rules of interaction. A secondary purpose is to describe a familiar, though brief, cultural event in such a way that the impression of the ethnographer can be related to the 'set of rules for the socially appropriate construciton and interpretation of messages' …which enables one to behave appropriately in this situation' (p. 167).
- HRAF PubDate
- 1999
- Region
- Africa
- Sub Region
- Western Africa
- Document Type
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- John Beierle ; 1998
- Field Date
- 1970-1971
- Coverage Date
- 1970-1971
- Coverage Place
- Senegal
- Notes
- Judith T. Irvine
- LCCN
- 88029427
- LCSH
- Wolof (African people)